Thunder Can Destroy Roses
by Mademoiselle Anime Amour
Summary: Lenera is a rebellious girl with lost hopes. Lariaum is an arrogant young man who may not be all that he seems. What happens when these two conflicting personalites meet? Moreover, what will happen to the rest of their lives?
1. Temper

**Author's Note:** Hey, it's me! Well, I had to go through all sorts of crap to get this chapter published. Yeah, I had a brunette moment. But, anyway, I hope you enjoy this story of mine. It might not be the best (heck, it's definitely not), but enough of my talking.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters. If I did, I would buy a house in Tokyo!

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Chapter 1: Temper

Autumn leaves toppled gracefully onto the forest floor below their former wooden homes. Reds, oranges, yellows, and browns flooded the ground with color, creating a fall scene with their grandeur, which surpassed any other aspect of the season. The golden sun streamed its solar light through the halfway leafless trees; its luminescence filtered throughout the forest, even reflecting in a minute brook flowing downstream.

Overall, the day promised to be beautiful, much to the apathy of one eighteen-year-old girl, who deftly raced between ashes and oaks and maples. Her bobbed blond hair streamed behind her as the gentle wind blew its strands with a most gracious air, her spindly legs pumping swiftly up and down rapidly, and her teal eyes sharply searching for any intruders. For, the one thing that Lenera detested above all else was to be followed.

She claimed the woods as her refuge, adamantly refusing to share it with any person she deemed an outsider. Residing in a cabin with her mother and younger sister, she embraced private life near the forest and despised most other people, excluding her family and the few friends she did have. Lenera had trust issues, to say the least; her father had abandoned the family when she was only a child of six. Ever since that day that had stiffened her heart, she vowed that solitude was the best remedy for her and that the woods offered her consolation, not cruelty. The teenagers scoffed at her at school, labeling her an "obsessed environmentalist", as well as a "hippie".

Lenera, in turn, spurned them, accusing her peers of not understanding the true beauty of nature. Yes, she could smell the enticing aroma of nature at that moment, hear it as her shoes mercilessly crushed the defenseless leaves, and see it all around her. Songbirds chirruped blissfully as she sprinted by their homes, some of them even greeting her by flying in front her.

However, Lenera was in a particularly foul mood this morning from a fight with her sister and muttered under her breath, "Go away, you stupid rats with wings."

The birds hardly felt the frigid reception from her, merely distracting her even more with their illustrious songs.

The girl muttered even more, this time uttering every curse word and expletive in the English language; however, she no longer had to deal with the soaring, careless birds as she managed to escape the forest to a well-trodden footpath to her high school. Wearily, Lenera ceased her jogging exercise and trudged onto this path, all the while memories of that morning coming back to haunt her.

* * *

_"I got eggs for breakfast," her mother announced cheerfully, transferring them from the skillet to a chipped china plate on the counter._

_Lenera yawned, stretched her arms, and picked up the plate apathetically. Another day of pointless education awaited her, she figured. Why should she care?_

"_It looks good, Mom."_

"_Thank you!"_

_The teenager shuffled to the kitchen table and joined twelve-year-old Sylvia who was currently in the process of gulping down her ham and cheese omelet she had ordered of her mother. _

_The younger girl was what one would call "high-maintenance." Lenera found it difficult to tolerate Sylvia, due to her impudent, condescending attitude toward others_

_"So, flower child, are you ready for another bad day?" the dark blonde inquired smart-alecky as she gulped down her glass of orange juice._

"_Shut up! Look, at least when I'm in a natural environment, no stupid little sisters are around to bother me."_

"_Oh, really? What about birds and bugs and the general—"_

_Lenera promptly grabbed Sylvia's half-finished plate and hurled it against the wall; it hardly took much to rattle her ever delicate nerves._

_"SHUT UP!!! Do you ever listen to whatever _I _have to say?!? Or are you just like those insufferable idiots at school?!?"_

_Her mother, busy with the dishes, sensed a conflict between the older and younger and sharply turned around. At this point, Lenera had aggressively gathered her intelligent, scholarly, yet spoiled sister's hair in one hand, which she had clenched into a white knuckled fist. Sylvia yowled in pain._

"_Lenera! Release your sister's hair at once. Don't make me ground you for a week."_

_Cruelly, the eighteen-year-old knocked her sibling's chair down before she finished her silent tirade. _

_Sylvia moaned agonizingly, but managed to wobble to her feet in a most awkward fashion; she pressed her hands to her temples, inwardly hoping her mother would witness this display and punish her sometimes most detested rival: her sister._

_"Sylvia, are you all right, honey?" Riana, the single mother of the two adolescent girls, rushed to her favorite daughter to check for any potentially severe wounds. Meanwhile, Lenera selected the option of pretending that nothing had occurred between her and Sylvia, so she resumed munching on her sunny side-up eggs; she also endeavored to ignore the heaviness of her heart at that moment. Why did every person in the known universe test her short patience like this? She could even recall a time in her life in which she acted friendly and sociable to score a few friends. In light of that minimal success, however, the vast majority of her peers still mocked her and treated her as though she was no more than an outcast. How Lenera hated that!_

_Because of this unprecedented annoyance of obtaining enemies in relatively peaceful kindergarten, childhood innocence had faded to unyielding, cruel behavior much too soon on her part. Now, she teased and mocked and hit other seniors in her class whenever she judged it necessary with the five other female members of her clique, her only colleagues. So, in retrospect, Lenera's constant masquerade as a bully hardly ceased in her own home, what with the way she treated Sylvia, whom she used to be nice to. But, most of the time, no such love existed._

_Her somewhat oblique teal eyes drifted to her blond headed mother utilizing a damp washcloth to treat a miniscule gash on Sylvia's left temple._

_Witnessing this caused another metaphorical knife stab to Lenera's heart. Determined to remain unnoticed, she sipped her glass of orange juice to the very end and finished off her eggs. Once finished with that task, she retreated upstairs to her room to retrieve her knapsack and two textbooks that she had used the previous night for studying._

_Just as she thought her mother would scarcely detect her, Lenera felt Riana's sharp brown eyes resting on her, hard as flint._

_"You need to control that temper of yours, Lenera, I swear." The normally sweet, doting voice dropped its temperature to subzero, chilling Lenera to the bone. Nonchalantly, however, she draped the strap of the khaki knapsack over her bony shoulder and gave her defense. "I can't help it if people have been jerks to me all my life, Mother. Dad was the first one I ever knew."_

"_You _know _we don't talk about your father in this house, young lady!"_

"_I get it. You want to move on with your life. But, remember what I just said."_

_Lenera's cold, even tone of voice was almost equivalent to that of Riana's in frostiness. Sylvia held the wet compress to her head, which dodged back and forth to determine who would win this icy battle of words._

_As soon as Lenera's boot exited the threshold of the open door, her mother vindicated herself with words that would upset her daughter in the future._

_"You may be eighteen, Lenera, but you don't boss me around like that. And as for people being jerks to you, have you considered the fact that you might just be a 'jerk' yourself?"_

"_How dare you!" Lenera displayed her vulnerability by this high-pitched shriek. "You don't know what it's like!!! Just go away!!"_

_And she ran like the wind, not looking back once._

* * *

"Damn her," Lenera cursed in present time, wiping hot, angry tears away with her black shirt sleeve. "If she went to my high school, then she'd see! The same goes for my idiotic sister!!"

"You called?" a familiar voice cheerily asked as its owner joined her on the two mile path to the two schools.

"Ah, Sylvia!" she groaned as she faced her freckled faced sister, who was all smiles as she strode beside her.

"Yeah, it's me. So...Mom wasn't too happy with you was she?"

"Of course she wasn't! She always disapproves everything I want to do, but _you _wouldn't know what that's like. You're the favorite."

Sylvia contemplated a way in which to placate Lenera's temper, no matter how soft it was now compared to half an hour ago. Even though she despised Lenera when she was at her most impossible, the twelve-year-old still loved her like family; the problem that she scarcely returned the love, however, presented itself full force every so often. Today was one of those trying days that started on a sour note, continuing to digress in a downhill fashion, and finally ending with the furious explosion to end all explosions. However, this explosion had already occurred this morning, so the chances that Lenera would display another one were slim.

"You know," Sylvia began as she tapped her chin with one finger, "I may be the favorite, but that doesn't mean Mom loves you less."

"Sure it does!" Lenera scoffed. "Have you seen the way she looks at me? Look, I'm starting to think that it's all because I act too much like Dad."

"You're not like Dad. He was a jerk who had an affair, finalized the divorce, and just up and left one day. You're fine, Lenera."

The girl addressed scoffed at this critique of her behavior with a poisonous laugh that scared her younger sibling; it sounded rather like a witch's cackle.

"Didn't Mom just call me a jerk this morning?!? You can try sugarcoating this all you want, Sylvia, but the fact of the matter is that she hates me, and I should just move out of the house before senior year ends."

After this meager attempt of brightening the overall emotional atmosphere, Sylvia remained quiet the rest of the walk to school.

Gazing at fields of alfalfa and wheat swaying in the slight breeze dully, the two sisters soon glimpsed the two school buildings that lay side by side after a declining slope to them. Both the high school and junior high school were constructed of brick, which appeared baked from the sun's luminescent beams from a distance. Apathetically, Sylvia and Lenera descended the slope and faced each other before separating to add a few more words to their bland conversation.

"Well, see you later!" Sylvia called over her shoulder once she spotted her clique standing idly by the junior high building, yawning wearily from arising at seven o'clock.

"OK!" Lenera called back as she briskly strode toward the main doors of her own school.

Once inside, she heard the customary excited chatter of the students floating and echoing in the enormous foyer; they stood in circles, away from other teenagers, whether they be foe or stranger.

Scanning with her eyes to seek out her group, Lenera occasionally glowered at other seniors, the ones who called her all sorts of vile, detestable names and "accidentally" tripped her in the extensive corridors of the facility. Luckily, no one would taunt her today, for she was greeted by a certain girl with dyed black and red streaked hair down to her waist.

"Hi, Lenera! You know, the weirdest thing happened to me yesterday that you will not believe."

"What was it, Willow?" She coolly folded her arms across her chest, her teal orbs glinting intriguingly.

"Well, do you know Fawn Woodsworth?"

Scratching her chin, Lenera felt an ever present smirk curl itself onto her tight, pallid lips. "I only know her as an acquaintance, nothing more and nothing less. I can't stand her anyway."

"Get this! Yesterday, Fawn shoved me to a nearby locker, and it was Damon Ocean's!!!" Willow squealed joyfully as she spun around in enthusiastic circles.

"Are we talking about the guy you have a huge crush on?"

And thus, Lenera discussed with her friend the frivolous, girlish gossip that only young female people lust after whenever the opportunity presents itself, though the blonde was normally not one to spread rumors. Once the conversation ceased, she serenely went to her locker, the morning's events eroding away from her memory.

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**Author's Note: **Well, I hope you guys will review. Constructive criticism is accpeted and appreciated, but no flames. Or death threats, grenades, or any of the like.

Yes, I do have a very dark sense of humor if any.


	2. Arrogance

**A/N: **Hey, I know it's been yesterday since I published chapter one of my story, but I put this up anyway. I'm sorry if it's too long or anything--let me know if it is. This may be the last chapter I publish unless I get reviews. However, thanks to those of you who visited the page for chapter one of my story! It really means a lot to me, and I hope I can put up more--that is, if you guys want me to. So, now, introducing Lariaum!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. Simple as that. Except these author's notes that I can't seem to make very well. And, sadly, Monique; you'll see why I say that.

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Chapter 2: Arrogance

Twilight Town was a sparsely populated hamlet that nestled in a corner all on its own. Warm, friendly people greeted each other often, and the generally placid atmosphere lightened each and every resident. Eternal twilight reigned here, no matter what the time; oranges, crimsons, and yellows splattered the scenic town like an expertly painted landscape painting, so exquisitely done and detailed. Shops were located at every street corner, bustling with customers chatting casually with the storekeepers they knew. For, Twilight Town consisted of such a sociable atmosphere, that everyone memorized each others' names by heart.

The schools, however, were a different story; in fact, the high school most of all greatly contrasted with every other place in the town when it came to affability. It was the poison that seeped in the building itself that made it pose as a terrible, godforsaken place.

A teenage boy roamed the corridors of this school proudly, as if he claimed the facility as his territory and his alone. His azure eyes scathingly gazed at students who dared to stand in his way. Oh, how he despised them! For, they should have known to never trifle with the likes of the arrogant, great Lariaum. He never used to be the vain, conceited fellow he was now; on the contrary, he only utilized this pride as a mask.

When he was younger, Lariaum was often teased for his love of flowers, especially roses. Some idiotic peers even brought his sexuality into question, a mistake that their tormented ensured they would hardly make again. He worked alongside his mother at her flower shop beginning at an early age, though at the time he felt uneasy and reluctant.

But, as the years rolled by, he grew to admire the flora he arranged into bouquets every day for avid customers, who thanked him tremendously with their coins. Roses struck his fancy with their almost ethereal beauty, yet they possessed thorns to attack careless flower pickers. Lariaum admired this deadly beauty, finding it interesting that the rose could be innocent and pure, as well as formidable and evil; in time, he grew to become like this.

At eight, his father inducted him into judo lessons, most likely to transform him into a masculine boy. After all, fathers want their sons to follow their examples, instead of their boys' own choices. Six years after he first trained in judo, Lariaum proudly wore his black belt constantly in his high school to prove that yes, he could become dangerous as well as a flower lover.

Nonetheless, bullies dared to mess with his mind, something the boy despised; retaliating, he himself transformed into an oppressor, targeting especially the first teenager who taunted him with jocular emerald eyes.

Lae had issues at home, so he took out his pain on random strangers, with Lariaum as one of the victims on whom he preferred to prey. Furious Lariaum decided to return this discourteous favor by persistently coming after Lae with his tougher friends in tow.

In fact, he spotted the revolting redhead right this minute with hands shoved down in the pockets of his crimson sweatshirt.

Did he ever take the disgusting thing off? Apparently, it would remain as one of those enigmatic, unanswered questions, Lariaum assumed.

Lae spotted his rival and immediately furrowed his eyebrows, his green eyes ablaze with hatred.

In response, said rival only apathetically flicked back meddling strands of his long black hair. "Lae, might I ask how you are this morning?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Lae scoffed as he ceased walking to a certain classroom to serve a certain detention that involved toilet papering the school.

"You know, I merely asked a simple question. There's no need to get defensive."

"Knowing you, I wouldn't be so sure. Now, will you leave me the hell alone? I got a detention to serve!"

Lariaum chuckled softly while pretending to dig dirt from his fingernail. "Since when were you so concerned about showing up for a detention? You have had a history, I believe, of sixty detentions, twenty in-schools, and a near-expulsion, have you not?"

"Shut up, Lariaum!! You think that you're the smartest kid in our entire senior class!!!" Lae yelled, displaying that dreadful temper of his.

"Actually...," Lariaum smirked disdainfully, "I am, with the honor of being head of the class, as well as receiving excellent marks and test scores, not to mention I will most likely be valedic—"

Swift as a cheetah, Lae abruptly sprinted to his rag-tag friends who blabbered about the latest video game's release.

"Ah, a typical day," Lariaum sighed, almost mournfully as he continued to arrogantly inspect the corridors of _his _school...or at least, his uncle Braig's. Braig currently conducted studies of the heart with five other colleagues, a most ludicrous venture, according to his nephew. He also paid the finances for Twilight Town High's upkeep, among other costs. Oddly enough, Uncle Braig had scarcely contacted the family of his progress in five months. Lariaum often became saddened by this, for the eccentric graying haired man with the laid-back, slacker accent that complimented his voice was his esteemed uncle. To not hear from him somewhat injured him.

No matter, he would attend class as usual, pretending that the possibility of a dead relative was just a figment of his imagination.

"Hey, Lariaum!" a sixteen-year-old boy called, endeavoring to catch up with his long strides.

"Seifer," he smirked kindly (if such a smirk could come off as genteel), "how are you on this brilliant morning?"

"Great! You know, I decided that maybe, I should start another fight with that Lae kid you hate so much."

Again, the polite sneer graced Lariaum's lips. "That won't be necessary, Seifer. I appreciate that you look up to me, but I'm in a good mood today."

The muscular blond teenager scratched his head, confused. All he wanted was to please this boy, his idol, before him to gain his acceptance. Why bother with that when Lariaum merely persisted in bestowing gentle, and yet disdainful smirks to him? What did Seifer do wrong? He would kiss up to the guy, offer to beat up foes for him, and _this _was all he got? Preposterous!

"Pfft, whatever! I didn't feel like kicking around helpless weasels today anyway!" Seifer scoffed, adjusting the black ski cap on his head before briskly walking away to fume somewhere.

Bemused, Lariaum chuckled slightly at the expense of the avid sophomore; that poor fool. Could he realize that he would never gain his respect, much less his acceptance? Inwardly, he rolled around, screaming with mirth, for he found it inexplicably weird that younger boys looked up to him. Besides, Lariaum may have his gang, but he only cared about number one: himself. This princely, arrogant adolescent would much rather love himself than anybody else. In fact, his ex-girlfriend...Oh, here she was now, practically sprinting down the corridor, as if she assumed the bell had already rung.

That infernal, crooked upward tilt tugged once more at his lips. Perhaps he should address her?

"Hello, Monique!"

Turning sharply around, the girl's sea-foam colored eyes instantly met Lariaum's azure ones before hers narrowed in a disgusted glare.

"What do you want, Mr. I'm-So-Perfect-and-Better-Than-You?!?" she snapped, flipping her thick mane of auburn hair back.

"I wish to say that you look ravishing today."

Monique, what an intriguing girl! It was a shame she had no patience with him; she never did. In fact, the reason they broke apart had pointed directly to Lariaum's arrogance, his accused apathy when it came to his "beloved", as he used to call her. He could recall the fight that lead to the ruin of their relationship quite well, though he _did _feel somewhat bitter about it...

_"Lariaum, I have a present for you!" Monique practically giggled with glee as she hid a wrapped package behind her back. Ah, Valentine's Day! Such a sweet day filled with candy, paper hearts...and roses, which the dark haired Lariaum enjoyed so very much. He lounged on the couch in his living room, watching his beloved with tender eyes. Maybe...he cared about her more than he realized at first. Maybe all that apathy was so stupid in the past. Yes, he would change for the better, because of the excitable redhead sitting before him, the love of his life. After today, he planned on becoming the best for young Monique, pretty Monique, and_ his _Monique. Today, the day of love, and he knew just how much he adored her._

_Settling himself more comfortably on the suede couch, Lariaum murmured, "What present did you give me, beloved?"_

"_The best one!" Monique declared as she revealed a perfectly wrapped package, her aquamarine eyes aglow with delight._

_He chuckled, carefully tearing the paper, as if it were alive and breathing; dare he rip too harshly, and it might just scream horrifically. Once he did this, he glimpsed a gilded box of chocolates resting on his lap. A charming present, but did it say, "I love you"? Did it declare that Monique would happily spend her life with him? For some odd reason, Lariaum had his doubts._

_"Well?" Monique gazed at him expectantly, emitting a few more giggles. "Do you like it?"_

"_I love it," he lied, bending down to plant a kiss on her forehead. What else could he do but lie? It wasn't that he detested chocolate; it hardly felt like a gift from the heart. He longed for his girlfriend to prove how much she loved him, just as much as he loved her. What had he ever done wrong to deserve this type of treatment? Unless she dated him out of lust, perhaps?_

_"Do you have a gift for me?" she inquired, tossing those innocent red curls so beautifully (or was it seductively?). _

_Always material possessions with that girl! Lariaum sighed wearily with the revelation that maybe...Monique had shyly asked him out due to the wealth he possessed. She had merely acted at the time._

_"Actually," he answered with the kind smirk he always ensured to don, "I do have a gift for you. It is very special and, in a way, a test."_

"_What kind of test?" she asked in that somewhat grating high-pitched voice. God, silence that woman! Why had she irritated him in the past five minutes?_

"_It is a test to prove that you are willing to stay as long as possible with me to help make this relationship endure. I will return shortly."_

_Lariaum ascended the creaky wooden stairs to his room to retrieve his own gift; really, he somehow remained apprehensive as to whether Monique would love it or not. Their relationship, to tell the truth, had been fading for the past six weeks._

_He sighed deeply again, remembering the silent promise he had sworn to himself just minutes ago. Was it really worth it? So many questions he had inquired of himself, half of them he could hardly answer. And so, down the winding road of sudden misery he walked, holding his package as he returned to his girlfriend._

"_I do hope you like it," he commented, perching uneasily on the now uncomfortable couch._

_Monique clapped her hands like a giddy child as she savagely ripped the wrapping paper. An intricate photo album sat on her lap, a book made of crimson leather with photographed mementos of the couple inside, mementos that Lariaum went out of his way to capture. They had dated each other for two years, so why not give her something memorable? Instead, he noted that her face twisted into a sour, displeased expression; this definitely troubled him._

_"Is there something wrong?" he questioned, concerned, his azure orbs taking on a wounded glow._

"_I...wanted...flowers," she muttered, almost inaudibly._

"_Whatever do you mean by that?"_

"_I wanted flowers, you idiot!!!" Monique screamed, knocking the armchair where she had formerly sat to the richly carpeted floor._

_Lariaum thought that she would have adored the album and cherished it like she supposedly cherished him. He felt deeply hurt at this point; not even a thousand cars running over him could hurt this much as his broken heart._

"_I—I didn't know," he stuttered softly._

_Again, Monique screamed in frustration, this time hurling a decorative vase of roses at him. He rolled over to the floor just in time._

"_THAT MUCH IS OBVIOUS!"_

_This was it. Lariaum officially had had enough of her childish foolishness. And to think, he had judged her as mature for her age._

"_You spoiled rotten bitch!" he shouted back at her. "I thought an album was a far more suitable gift than a bouquet of exquisite flowers! The former was given to prove our love, how far we have come as a couple! I guess I was wrong."_

_Throwing her curls in an incensed, heated rage, Monique screeched, "Well, you are like a modern-day Narcissus! You only care about yourself!"_

"_That could not be farther from the truth! I love you!"_

"_Not anymore, you don't. This relationship is over. We are OVER!"_

_She abandoned him right then and there to storm off to the foyer; five seconds later, he heard a malicious door slam. The album lay dismally on the floor, luckily still in tact._

_However, Lariaum didn't care any more, due to his desire not to. He knelt by the deserted book, desolate and alone like him. How could she do this to him? She had told him that he supposedly acted like the Greek man who had fallen in love with himself by gazing into his own reflection in a pond. After all, she always did have a thing for Greek and Roman mythology, Lariaum thought bitterly. Well, she had behaved more like Medusa, the woman with writhing snakes for hair. Before he knew it, he had proceeded to cry helplessly, the tears dripping off his nose and onto the photo album. He was at a complete and utter loss until...the rage came. Still sobbing, Lariaum hurled the book out the window he opened, watching it fall onto the cobblestones. That day, on the day of love, he swore to never love again, only to love himself, more like a curse than anything._

Now, Monique responded to Lariaum's false compliment, patting her hair arrogantly. "Oh, do I look good to you? Humph, I'm glad you noticed."

"Yes, you do look beautiful...as beautiful as Medusa!"

"WHAT?!?"

And, for the first time in a long while in public, Lariaum howled with laughter. Revenge was indeed very sweet.

* * *

**A/N: **I always thought it would be interesting to consider Marluxia's Other when it came to personality. What if the egotism was just a facade for something brilliant underneath? That was basically the inspiration behind this chapter.

Oh...and Monique acting like a spoiled brat--that could have had something to do with it too :P. So, I'm considering putting up chapter three for next Friday, maybe earlier. I'm not the best at planning things.

Yes, chapter three...Lenera receives a visit from a mysterious visitor... Find out who in the next installment!


	3. Nature's Finest

**A/N: I decided that I want to type these in bold now...so, yeah. Well, I will continue this for the readers! That's what authors usually do anyway. In this chapter...Sylvia gets mean-er, Lenera still has anger management problems, and so much more. So, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or its characters, and the novels mentioned belong to their respected writers, NOT TO ME. The novel titles, by the way, are kind of symbolic.**

**

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****Chapter 3: Nature's Finest**

Lenera breathed in crisp, yet mild autumn air as she sat cross-legged under a certain mighty oak that served as her personal favorite tree. A hardback novel rested on her right knee, ready for reading. Ah, yes, the book she had to read for contemporary literature class. How she adored it! Indeed, _Interview with the Vampire _was impeccably suited to her dark tastes. It contained everything within its slightly yellowed pages, such as adventure and mystery. Even a bit of romance was included, though very, very dark and twisted. She loved twisted. It summed her up as a person, she figured, as a sadistic force that compelled everyone to quake with fear. Coldly, a smirk graced her pale lips, devoid of cosmetics, as the thought came to her.

Once she started perusing this unusually intriguing class novel, Lenera fell into the addicting story once more. How the characters captivated her, how suspenseful the plot worked! Page after page she turned excitedly, fascinated as to how complex the vampires in the story were, between good and evil. Untypical for a story, and yet, how enticed and allured she felt. Just as she reached a particularly amazing, masterful part in the story, her sister had to interrupt her.

"Lenera, lunch is ready! Lenera?" Sylvia sprinted with agile feet toward her, ensuring that she heard her. Oh, yes, how Lenera did hear her often infuriating sister...too much in fact.

"Idiot!" she raged. "Did you have to tell me that stupid fact just now?!? I was just getting to the good part of the novel, and you just _had _to interrupt me!"

Sylvia placed her hands firmly on her hips, fearless about vouching for herself in front of her frustrating sister. "You know, you're such a nerd, really. Why else would you have signed up for contemporary lit this year? I mean, you think you're so tough, but you're really a nerd, like I said. Admit it!"

Aggressively and in a furious wrath, Lenera hurled the thick tome at Sylvia, nearly bashing her head in the process. Sylvia, in turn, took this opportunity to pick up the book, now filthy from dirt. Brushing the dust off dismissively, she read the title aloud, "_Interview with the Vampire_, huh? Jeez, Lenera, just when I thought you couldn't be any more of a freak..."

She regretted saying that as soon as her elder raised herself to her feet as quickly as possible, storming toward her with a fire burning in her teal eyes. Oh, she would pay dearly for that comment!

"You insolent brat!!!"

"Lenera, if you get violent with your sister, there will be consequences!" Riana called from their cabin.

This interruption thoroughly exasperated Lenera, which caused her to bestow one last glower at Sylvia before she reluctantly trudged to the house as huffy as ever.

Japanese cuisine served as today's lunch, the girls discovered, once they walked into their kitchen. This somewhat calmed Lenera, but the resentment toward her sister for interrupting her reading still lingered in her soul. All three quietly ate their sushi rolls, rice, and miso soup without any outbursts.

"Mom, Lenera here decided to rudely attack me with her book." Sylvia broke the silence with a false, melodramatic accusation, her brown eyes resting on Lenera.­­­

The blond girl noticed this and promptly explained herself. "Mom, that's not true! I only threw it at her. It's not like I literally came up to her and beat her with it!"

"Oh, I think I have a headache!"

"No you don't, you faker!"

"Enough!" Riana announced as she slammed her bowl of soup on the table, muting the two girls to the point of sheer fright.

Their mother continued, "Now, I know that Lenera has had a history of being violent, both here and at school—"

"So, you do believe me," Sylvia boasted quietly, sneering at a seething Lenera, who truly desired to strangle her at that moment.

"I didn't say that, Sylvia. You, on the other hand, seem to prefer lying to make your sister look bad. So...Lenera, I request that you be nice and courteous to Sylvia for one week."

"That's stupid, utterly, freaking stupid!" Lenera shrieked, throwing her plate of rolls onto the floor with an animalistic rage. "You always take Sylvia's side, Mom! Always! It's been like this since _he _left!! I know I'm not as mature as I should be...but I think this spoiled little girl"—she jerked her head toward her younger—"should get the punishment she deserves!"

"Perhaps you're becoming too much like your father, Lenera," Riana coldly suggested, which infuriated her daughter to the point of near insanity.

She lifted herself to her feet, acting unusually calm to hide her ire, as she attempted to comprehend this sentence. Why would she even consider becoming ‍like her father, the man who deserted his own family? How could she even _be _so evil as to do that? Pacing back and forth, Lenera suddenly sensed more wrath, more rage, and more resentment than she had ever felt in her miserable life. Every time she ever fought with her sister, Riana would always insist it was her fault, never Sylvia's. Oh no, the blame could never rest on that girl's shoulders, what with her obedience, intelligence, dirty blond hair, and brown eyes.

That was the reason. Sylvia looked exactly like her mother, whereas Lenera resembled her father. This revelation nearly tore her apart on the inside, so much so that...that...

"Oh, so because I look like that cheating liar means I will be like him. Good logic, Mom. But, have you ever realized that I hate him?!? That I'd rather die than see his face again?!? You don't even know, Mom! YOU NEVER KNEW! To heck with you, I'm out of here in about...now."

She could never curse in front of Riana, for the truth was she loved her too much; she wished that her mom could return the family affection but, apparently, it proved as wishful thinking. Storming up to her room, Lenera quickly stuffed her sentimental treasures into her khaki knapsack before mutely slipping out her window to a beloved destination.

She sprinted harder than she had ever done in the mandatory mile run at school earlier this year. Her main objective was to sever ties with her entire family, though that sounded just like her father. Well, if that served as the case, she didn't care; she abandoned them of her own accord, not out of wanting to, but out of desperation. Sylvia and Riana had in reality injured her feelings too many times to recall, despite the fact that she dared to show otherwise. No way would she ever show weakness in front of those two! It sounded awful to her, crying in front of them to show how much they emotionally wounded her.

Finally, Lenera reached her favorite retreat of the entire forest, a location which lay just behind a small waterfall, which cascaded down to the long creek that snaked around the vast acreage. Gurgling sounds emitted from the body of water, calming noises that could soothe the soul without much effort; she adored it. Nature offered her the best comforts of which she could ever imagine. If she were ever to be deprived of them, the agony would amount to excessive. For, they helped drive away malicious thoughts concerning her parents, her sister, and her overall unsatisfying life.

With nature, she could fall into an entirely different realm, one with no suffering or pain. She could forget her troubles and her grievances. Here, Lenera could just thrive without any hindrance from other humans.

Sighing contently, she sneaked behind the waterfall into a cave that she had discovered the very day her father left, never to return. She could hear the steady _drip- drip _of water droplets tumbling from stalactites suspended over the cave's floor; making sure to maintain her balance, she trod carefully to her secret treasure trove, where her esteemed items lay in state.

A vague flashback came to her that consisted of her scrawny, eight-year-old form stuffing these objects that hid under a broken stalagmite. Whenever she ran here to conceal herself from Sylvia and Riana, she would take these treasures out to play with happily. No one could ever intrude here. It was _her _spot, and no one else's.

Knocking the stalagmite over with one foot, Lenera retrieved the items that represented her girlhood, one by one. Ah, her copy of _Dracula_, read at age twelve! How could she ever forget it? She dug further into the barren crater that dampness in this cave had created in the stalagmite, finding a knife that she often used to carve into the solid rock, like the cavemen did in ancient days. Though, there may have been a time when she did utilize it for the deplorable act of self-mutilation. The blood stains still remained on the blade, reminding her of that terrible epoch when she had been so pathetically weak. Of course, no one had ever possessed the knowledge of that occurring.

Shaking her head at the knife disgustedly, Lenera tossed it aside and retrieved two more items that currently lay in her stash: a candy bar from the day before last and yet another book, this one titled _Pride and Prejudice_, a guilty pleasure. After all, it was hardly your typical love story, and she unabashedly supported the unprecedented. She had just started to flip through its pages when she spotted a strange door that had never existed in this cave before; she could scarcely help but wonder why it suddenly appeared.

"You know," a deep, masculine voice interrupted her manic thoughts, "this door will open sooner than you will think. And all those precious to you will be destroyed."

"Who are you?!?" she shouted, enraged. "You shouldn't even be here! This is _my _spot and no one else's, got it?"

"Such fury," the man commented, causing her to sharply turn her head to catch a glimpse of him, her neck aching in the process.

His face was concealed by a brown hood attached to a cloak of the same shade, so she had no idea as to who this enigmatic stranger was, what with his choice of attire and cryptic words. Lenera resigned to the fact that she feared him, but she dared not show that terror. It never would display itself if she could help it.

"Well...just...get out, OK?!? I don't have time for stupid idiots like you!"

Ah, so childish a comeback, that even she was aware of that; she felt like slapping herself.

A faint chuckle rumbled in the cloaked man's chest, deepening her fury and resentment toward him. Why couldn't he just go away and leave her to the privacy of her childhood refuge?

"Yes...maybe you will be of use to me after all. But, it won't be until later, of course."

Lenera, who had glared her angry, fiery teal eyes at the obscure door that hardly belonged in a cave, sharply turned her head again, popping a muscle. It proved meaningless, for she had done this only to discover...the mysterious man had vanished abruptly, without so much as a farewell.

She cursed violently under her breath for realizing too late he had prepared to speak to her. Whatever did he imply by such carefully worded speech anyway? He was probably a deranged madman who had no idea where the nearest asylum lay, she assumed testily.

"Hey, Lenera!" Sylvia rushed into the barren cave as Lenera fruitlessly attempted to decipher the stranger's words. "Mom says she didn't know what came over her when she compared you to our father. I guess she still resents him for what he did to us. Anyway, she wants you home."

"Has she revoked my sentence yet?" Lenera inquired somewhat sardonically. If Riana decided that she would behave nicely to her exasperating sister, she swore she would...

"Yeah, she has. She says she probably won't expect any miracles. Hey...what's that?"

Sylvia had pointed to the door that had had Lenera's head spinning for the past two minutes. What a sight!

"Oh, that. Don't worry about it; I'm sure it's nothing," the teal-eyed blonde dismissed, though she suspected otherwise.

That man had said that it would open sooner than later, that it would wreak the destruction of everything and everyone that she had ever cared about, ever adored. Even the loss of Sylvia would be too much of a price to pay if that damnable door opened of its own accord. How could it do such a thing, though? Lenera sighed, thinking that now she was the one who had these weird thoughts, instead of the brown cloaked man.

"Hmmm, you're probably right. But...I wouldn't think a door would belong in a cave," Sylvia muttered before motioning to Lenera to return to the cabin.

"_No, duh," _the older girl thought bitterly.

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**A/N: Poor Lenera. She always has to deal with so much shouting in her house. Then again, I think we have all gone through crap like that sometime in our lives--I know I have. So, please review if you liked, don't if you don't...well, if you outright hate it, don't. **

**OK, next chapter...get ready to read an epic fight, y'all! **


	4. Bitter Rivalry

**A/N: I decided to update this before Thursday and Friday. Sadly, I'm not allowed on the computer when it's storming--that's why. Also, I still have yet to finish typing up chapter nine. In the mean time...**

**You have been told of this and now it comes...a fight! But between who and who?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything off Kingdom Hearts nor will I ever own anything off Kingdom Hearts. Capish?**

**

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****Chapter 4: Bitter Rivalry**

Lariaum smiled genuinely for once as he strode toward his home that lay just above his mother's quaint, dainty flower shop. A week had passed since he had insulted his ex-girlfriend, inducing ecstatic happiness. Not only was he entirely free of her wretched memory now, but today was a Friday; the weekend would serve him well.

His spirits had ascended so high, that he uncharacteristically hailed passersby as he briskly walked by them, which only made them give him blank stares of confusion. Lariaum could care less as to their odd glances. What mattered now was that he could now work industriously in one of his favorite places without those nitwits from school to pester him. Lae and Monique and Seifer and so many others...how he despised them! Still, no resentment troubled him on this pleasant Friday afternoon.

The familiar store front that had grown to cheer him caught his eye as he approached it. Now this—this was what he declared home. Even if his somewhat gruff, strict father would merely grunt in greeting, his mother would embrace him like always. Lariaum sighed contently with such a perfect family image, though his father Erik seemed to dislike his son. It mattered not, for the young man was used to such scorn from everyone; Erik served only as one more person who did so.

A tiny bell ringing its tiny peal accompanied Lariaum as he opened the door to smell the pleasing aroma of flowers that drifted constantly here.

Plants were in abundance to this shop room, so full of life and beauty. They hung in planters on the eaves, as well as outstretching leafy green tendrils to the sun from plastic cartons near the windows. Even a single rose bloomed in a pot on the eastern window sill, set aside for Lariaum's personal enjoyment. He often escaped his world to wander into all sorts of daydreams by merely resting his eyes on that lone bloom.

"Oh, Lariaum, you're home!" His aptly named mother Flora straightened up after kneeling near one of the several cartons of flowers. She abandoned these when she strode to her son quickly and showered him with kisses. It was as if he had been gone two years instead of seven hours, what with the way she reacted.

"Hello, Mother." He smiled demurely as he welcomed these kisses, instead of feeling awkward like most boys his age would have done. For, again, Lariaum was not like most boys. He was the apple of his mother's eye, and he wasn't afraid to admit it.

Flora went down to business after her overenthusiastic hello by going over to a back room that served as a place for gardening supplies. Two minutes later, she returned with a heavy canvas apron and a pair of gloves, soon tossing these objects to Lariaum.

"You must help me with the irises today. There seems to be a lot of them growing this year—probably because this has been a good season—and I need all the help I can get. You do know that irises are the most popular among our customers."

"I most certainly do, Mom," Lariaum replied softly as usual.

Despite what Flora had said, seasons for any type of vegetation never mattered in Twilight Town. All year long, temperatures were mild to stifling, as well as the twilight ruling over 24/7 in the hamlet, thus its name. However, Lariaum had heard of a place in which the temperatures remained fall-like in certain months, before climbing to spring-like. How unusual. Then again, what site in the surrounding areas of Twilight Town could any of its denizens consider normal? He shrugged his shoulders to reel himself out of his sudden musing to don the apron and gloves, as well as obtaining a rubber band with which to tie back his long hair.

Just as Lariaum prepared to go to the greenhouse that lay behind the shop/house, Erik emerged from upstairs in the living room, a rare occurrence. After working at a mechanics place downtown, the patriarch of the family usually retired to the living room, where the television blasted noises of people in combat. After all, Erik did enjoy his action movies on the movie channels as much as the next guy...or so he thought. He had never predicted that Flora would conceive such a feminine monstrosity as his son. Lariaum's sensitivity had always bugged Erik to the point of insanity, though in recent years, he had resigned to it.

Lariaum's father always knew he had failed as a parent, but what could he do? The boy loved flowers and, apparently, couldn't handle the pressure of having a steady girlfriend. To Erik, his son was a walking disappointment that forever haunted the peripheral edges of his mind.

"Hello..._Father_," Lariaum addressed his father in a somewhat hostile tone of voice.

"Hey," he grunted back, scratching the back of his head.

No further word was carried between the two, for Lariaum virtually ignored his father as he eagerly opened the door to amble toward the greenhouse.

Erik heaved a sigh in response. When would he ever connect with his son? The last time they actually did something together were those good-for-nothing judo lessons that Lariaum had never put into use. And to think, ten years had elapsed since that epoch, never to return again. A modern-day tragedy, Erik thought, to say the least.

In the mean time, Lariaum weeded the iris section of the vast expanse of garden that the greenhouse contained. Now, this was the life. He could do this all day, eliminating pesky, unwanted weeds that threatened to choke the life out of this beauty. Admittedly, he felt sorry for the former. If they could feel anything, it would probably be jealousy for these elegant flowers towering above them. This pulled Lariaum into intense musing as to whether weeds would prefer switching places with graceful fauna.

"Hey, Mrs. D," he suddenly heard a familiar cocky voice utter, "Nice to see you, too. No, I don't think I'll get some flowers today, thank you"—Lariaum could have sworn he identified suppressed bouts of disdainful laughter—"I just want to visit your son, that's all. He's in the greenhouse, huh? OK, thanks."

The raven haired teen bolted to his feet in a millisecond, his azure eyes scanning the area of the greenhouse suspiciously in anticipation for this most unwanted intruder. Grass rustled under his boots from the sheer quickness of this movement.

Whistling lightly, in his careless manner, the enemy penetrated the glass house through its door, his cat-like eyes shining in his usual jocular manner.

"Nice apron, Lariaum," Lae sneered as he neared ever closer toward the addressed teen. "Did your mom give that to you for your birthday?"

"Shut up!"

"Wow, you're actually testy today! Wait till I tell all the dudes in school what I just saw—they'll pass out from laughing too hard, I'm sure."

Lariaum growled savagely before he reverted to his calm self. There was no need to get this agitated. After all, he had a vague idea as to make Lae's unprecedented visit a memorable one...and not for hilarious reasons.

Resolving to ensure that two years of judo lessons would pay off, Lariaum rushed toward Lae, who merely chuckled with amusement. A gloved fist directed itself toward that arrogant face and then...

_Thud!_

Lae stumbled backward in pure shock, unintentionally improving Lariaum's foul mood.

"What's the matter, Lae?" he teased as he paced back and forth in front of his foe. "Did I frighten you?"

"You son of a—"

_Whack!_

Expertly, Lariaum had landed a high kick right at Lae's stomach, causing the unlucky redhead to double over coughing. Holding his head back vainly with laughter, the kicker resumed pacing back and forth. He finally had received the chance to see his loathed rival in pain delivered personally by him.

It was rich, it was perfect, and it was very satisfying. Now, other boys, such as the likes of Seifer, would surely find him a venerable god when this fight concluded...but, not yet. Lariaum had a few more tricks up his sleeve before this could all be said and done.

"Lae, Lae, Lae." He shook his head, which caused the loosened rubber band in his hair to come free. "I thought you were a much better fighter than this. After all, I see you pummel my friends to the ground quite often."

"That's because you've never been brave enough to face me," Lae scoffed with a disdainful snort. "I mean, I never thought you had the guts. As far as I can tell, you're still a coward."

"What an incorrect way to put it, my friend."

Another sarcastic response that Lariaum managed to utter fueled him impeccably, so much so that he could strike Lae again. He delivered swift punches to the redhead's crooked, rat fink face with a vengeance, displaying his rugged masculine side. Also ensuring to kick Lae in sensitive places helped, too, making him fall and groan in agonizing pain.

"Damn you," he muttered, spitting out blood. "Why are you so tough? You're not supposed to be tough!"

"Oh, but I am. Watch this!"

Lariaum rapidly evaded Lae's attempted punches and transmitted kicks that made his enemy practically soar through the air before landing in a lovely water fountain. And the one thing the self-proclaimed pyromaniac hated more than anything was to end up soaking wet.

Lae spat out constantly running water from the spouts bitterly, causing the small pool around him to transform into a light crimson hue from his blood.

But, no, Lariaum wasn't even finished yet, by any means.

Before the redhead could even speak one curse word, he found himself flipped over his detested foe's shoulder with ease, almost as if he truly was nothing more than a sack of potatoes.

"How do you feel now?" Lariaum inquired as he looked down upon the gasping Lae. "It must hurt being beat by the resident 'sissy', now isn't it?"

"Sh—shut up, man! I didn't deserve this!"

"Oh, but I think you did. You see—"

But, the black haired youth hardly had the time to say more; Flora had heard grunts from within the building and had wandered out into the greenhouse to observe what had occurred.

"Lariaum!" she gasped, one hand quickly flying to her mouth.

"Well, well, well, looks like Mommy's boy is in trouble." Lae grinned along with his smirk, finally achieving the sense of vindication. Or so he thought.

One more punch met his already bloody lip before he could continue gloating.

"Ah, man," he groaned, "I'm outta here! See you soon, Mrs. D."

And so, with his pride temporarily in shambles, Lae retreated from the garden, fearful of any more attacks. This left Flora and Lariaum in the glass building, with the former shaking her brunette head in disapproval.

"Lariaum, I'm very disappointed in you. This is not the way in which to treat a guest. Besides, isn't that boy one of your school friends?" Flora asked reproachfully.

Her son only emitted bitter chortles in response. As if he would ever befriend the one boy who drove him to hate all mankind! Then again, his mother never knew what went on at school, so she must not have blame rest on her shoulders.

"He is far from a friend, Mother. Lae merely came in here to taunt me mercilessly about my flower-tending lifestyle. I had no choice but to unleash my black belt judo on him."

Flora sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose between two fingers. "Still, that is not how you treat a guest. You're grounded for the rest of the night."

"You may call it hostile, Mother, but I call it justice," Lariaum spoke coolly as he retreated to his room for recollection.

Ah, why must he be the martyr in all of this? All he wanted was simple revenge, and he received punishment. He reflected on the fight with Lae as he gazed dully at the blue ceiling of his bedroom. In truth, the combat brought out the inner fire burning him within, the fulfillment of a well-earned victory. Why hadn't he thought of this before? He could have punished Lae in this manner for quite some time, but had refused to do so until five minutes ago. And those five minutes served as the best ones in his life. To himself, Lariaum proposed this: he would get into fights if they were absolutely necessary for redemption. After all, retaliating after Lae's smart-alecky remarks had felt great. Revenge had tasted sweet on his tongue again, the satisfying vendetta nourishing him.

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**A/N: Reviews would be great, guys. One of my other stories has been favorited by somebody, though, so I'm not going to be mad or anything if you don't review. However...**

**The plot is going to get rather interesting; a little twist is going to happen. So...just review, OK? Pretty please with cake and cookies on top of a sundae that Axel decided to make, because he's not good with a stove? **

**I have to use a ploy that concerns Axel--in my opinion (even though I typed it up), this is just sad. But hey, whatever floats my boat!**


	5. The Encounter

Chapter 5: The Encounter

Sitting peacefully in her room, Lenera utilized the television remote to seek the perfect show to watch. Channel after channel came out to contain nothing—not even Animal Planet offered any enjoyment. She rarely watched television anyway; it had a tendency to fry her brain. Nature offered far more serene entertainment than this, even on the weekends.

During the past month, the temperatures had still remained autumn-like, which would continue in the next five months before spring came. Yes, her country home stood amidst the surroundings in which weird weather took place, with merely two seasons. Oh well, she had grown accustomed to it. School offered little interest as of late. She would converse with Willow and the other girls, all the while causing petty mayhem. In fact, she still prided herself in yesterday's prank, in which she had lured one of the popular girls outside, where a pail of maple syrup held by Willow awaited. Ah, classic comedy!

Lenera smirked upon recollection as she crossed her legs and stretched out her body. Perhaps a leisurely cat nap would suit her well. After all, Sylvia and her mother weren't around to bother her this afternoon—they had gone to the grocery store together. She possessed no memory as to the last time she ever went to any public location besides school. Even if she did, it probably happened long ago, when contentment still reigned among her then complete family. In those days, her father would return from work at six o'clock sharp and gather her little girl form onto his lap. Riana would laugh at his witty jokes that he told her, and Sylvia would gurgle happily in her then babyish dialect. Those were the days!

Lenera sighed ruefully and really wished that they would return, though this was in vain. She had to live in the now as an eighteen-year-old girl who had absolutely no college plans and an irritating mother and sister to keep her company. As for her dad, well, she knew what he had done with his life—abandoned them to marry that bitch, whose name she could care less about. Stupid homewrecker that lady turned out to be!

"My life sucks, whatever," Lenera sighed as she endeavored more than ever to invite sleep into her limbs and mind.

She switched off the television while imploring for nature related dreams to drift inside the peripherals of her mind blissfully; sadly, this was not meant to be.

A stranger messed with something in her vicinity outside, she just knew it. However, the desire to arise and investigate the intrusion died since she had started to get comfortable.

She urged her brain to bestow to her charming images of her ideal world with no one but herself existing. Now, that would serve as an improvement!

Unfortunately, the rustling noise outside persisted.

Plopping a pillow onto her head, Lenera tried to block out this vexing sound that caused her so much grief. But, ah, there it was again!

_Swish, swish!_

She privately swore to herself that she would drift off to sleep eventually; it was only a matter of time before she could do so.

_Swish, swish!_

"That's it!" Lenera screamed in frustration. "Whoever's outside is so freakin' dead! How dare this idiot ruin my future sleeping!"

Muttering certain curse words under her breath that definitely would sound unladylike to any passerby, she slammed the front door open to seek the intruder. He would regret ever trifling with a furious, cranky Lenera like that with his ruckus.

Luckily, the swishing aided in her search as she followed the echoes in the forest. Stomping on fallen leaves on the way, she continued storming in a rage until she discovered a young man picking purple asters growing in the hollow of an ash tree.

That young man was none other than Lariaum.

His mother needed more flowers to sell, so she enlisted his help to gather them in the one place she knew was perfect: the region surrounding the quaint village of Fairweatherton. Obediently, he had set out on this quest, but he had no idea who he would meet along the way, least of all running into Lenera of all people. An angry Lenera whose eyes simmered with rage, at that.

"You idiot!" she screamed in his face. "This is my family's property, so I suggest you get the hell off it!"

Lariaum stood up to his full height of six foot two inches and calmly looked this irritating girl in the eye. He never thought that he could ever meet someone as vexing as her. After all, he disliked being screamed at as much as the next person.

"Do you mind if you speak to me in a more civilized manner?" he inquired frigidly, crossing his arms.

Lenera smirked disdainfully at this strange boy before her, placing a finger to her chin in feigned contemplation; she already hated him, just like anyone else who dared to toy with her nerves. And _those _people rued the day when that happened. Likewise, he would receive the same treatment.

"Actually, yeah, I do, sissy."

Azure eyes dilating in rage, Lariaum knew this girl had crossed the line by uttering that word. For, sissy he was not. Maybe he should show her that undeniable fact.

"Girl, I suggest you shut up before I cause permanent damage to your person."

She merely laughed in his face; he figured he read too much at that moment, what with the way he acted like a walking lexicon with his speech.

"I'd like to see you try! I'm the best fighter there is!"

Lariaum raised a skeptical brow. "Oh, really? Well, then—"

He hurled both of his fists toward Lenera all of a sudden, before she prepared for them...or so it seemed.

She caught them in her remarkably strong hands, pushing them as hard as she could to direct them to her chosen target of his oh-so-pretty-boy face. A triumphant smirk distorted her lips; she would win this battle. She would win and there was nothing this trespasser could do to stop it. For, she was the unstoppable, the mighty, the female warrior, the...

"Lenera, what are you up to this time?" Her mother's exasperated shout echoed throughout the forest, promptly startling her.

"Oh, uh...uh, nothing, Mom." She laughed nervously as she released Lariaum's captured fists. "I—I just...um...um..."

Riana stood near the front door of the cabin, tapping one foot impatiently as she held a bag of groceries. Sylvia, of course, stood right beside her with a pleased expression on her face; she simply adored seeing her sister this agitated.

"You were being rude again, clearly. Hello, I'm Riana"—she turned to Lariaum—"Who are you, young man?"

"L—Lariaum," he replied awkwardly, shuffling his feet. He had never seen this coming; after all, he just wanted to pick flowers for the shop, nothing more. It didn't help that Lenera's cold, yet smoldering eyes had landed themselves on him either.

Even more amused at this point, Sylvia coolly sidled up to him and introduced herself. "My name is Sylvia. I see that you have already met my sister Lenera, who, as you can see, is in desperate need for anger management."

"You little twit!" Lenera slapped her sister in the arm, though not as harshly as usual. She abandoned the three of them shortly afterward, but not before giving one last glare to Lariaum, who had regained enough composure to smirk. Alone at last! He was positive that these charming people would behave much more pleasantly than that atrocious blond girl.

"So, what are you doing in this part of the forest?" Sylvia asked in an almost flirtatious manner. "Not many people come here."

Riana, recognizing her daughter's behavior, promptly chided, "Now, Sylvia, this boy is about Lenera's age. Don't flirt with him!"

"Sorry, Mom. Anyway—"

"I came here to pick flowers to help my mother with her florist shop. I am her only child, so I am to inherit the family business."

A more subdued Sylvia quickly lost interest in Lariaum after his reason for coming here. He wasn't here to hunt nor had he shown up to fish the finest creeks that Fairweatherton Forest had to offer. No, he had been busy picking flowers, an activity normally done by females. Boring! At least, that was what Sylvia thought.

"Well, you can come inside, if you like. You're just in time for lunch," she stated dully before retreating to the kitchen with her bag of groceries.

"I swear she is acting more like me every day," Riana observed, shaking her head Sylvia's way.

"Sure..." Lariaum trailed off before following her to the kitchen due to curiosity of what foods this family possessed in their pantry.

Thirty minutes later, Riana brought a wooden spoon up to her mouth to taste test the warm taco meat lying upon it. When satisfied with the food temperature, she yelled upstairs to Lenera, "Lunch is ready!"

Dull and listless, Lenera promptly descended the stairs wearing her infamous pout on her lips. She could scarcely believe that her mother invited that irritating boy to their lunch; she detested the guy and would rather not see his face again.

In the mean time, Sylvia and Lariaum sprinkled hand foods on their tortilla shells as soon as they received the generously spooned-out taco meat.

"I haven't had a taco in almost two years," Lariaum spoke lightly, placing shredded lettuce on his portion.

"Really? We like having all kinds of foods. You should try Greek—it's really good."

"Ah, Greek... On the contrary, I prefer Italian. After all, who doesn't love pizza?"

Sylvia giggled, amused at Lariaum's wit when he exclaimed his love for pizza; it did strike her as funny.

Lenera harrumphed condescendingly as she grabbed a handful of grated cheddar with which to sprinkle on her taco.

"Hmmm...Leslie, is it?" Lariaum turned to her once he heard her snort, joking with her with his blue eyes.

"It's Lenera! Don't wear it out."

"I must ask you why you're still angry with me. I had no idea that I was even on your property, you know."

She sharply raised her head to meet those sparkling eyes that—no, she hated this boy. No way would she ogle his eyes when he had invaded her space.

"Because I don't like you. Got it?"

Lariaum shrugged. "Suit yourself. But, mark my words, you do not wish to find an enemy in me." He leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I fought a despicable boy from my school a month ago. By utilizing helpful techniques I had learned while taking judo classes, I defeated him. Trust me, Lenera; you do not want to cross me."

"I will never trust you," Lenera hissed back and abruptly seated herself to chow down on the delicious taco sitting on the plate before her.

Lunchtime conversation buzzed around the table as soon as every person in the lodge settled down, though Lenera took no part in talking...yet.

"So, Lariaum, you say you work for your mother at her flower shop?"

"Yes, Riana, I do."

"What's her name? She might be familiar to me."

"Flora."

Riana nodded her head, intrigued. "Ah, yes, she arranges splendid bouquets—she almost treats flowers like works of art. I hope you will follow in her footsteps."

"I am sure of that, thank you."

Gobbling on another hunk of her taco, Sylvia commented with her mouth full, "You must get teased a lot, dude."

"I do, actually." Lariaum waved this aside once he confessed this, as if that issue was nothing more than a pesky mosquito. "But, kids these days refuse to mature at my age. I think Lenera proves my point."

Down went Lenera's fist upon the table when she heard herself portrayed as immature. This idiot learned nothing, did he?

"Excuse me, Lariaum, but I'm not the one being made fun of for being a sissy, am I?!?"

"Lenera," her mother warned, though daughter disregarded this vocal threat.

"You have no idea what hell I've been through in my life! You don't even want to know me, you know why? I will make your life as miserable as possible. Oh yes, let's laugh at Lenera for her immaturity! You know what, mister? I don't want you to ever come back to our house ever again, do you understand?!?"

After her tirade, Lenera stomped up the steps to her room, where she proceeded to watch television. Maybe it would yield her the sleep she had desired in the first place.

A knock on the door dashed those hopes, however, causing Lenera to scream, "Go away! I don't want to see anybody right now, got it?'

Lariaum strode briskly into the room.

Sighing huffily, Lenera summoned all her attention on the flashing, colorful screen before her, puzzling on what the comedian on it had just said.

"What? Are you gonna beat me up now for what I screamed at you back there?"

Cautiously, Lariaum neared the bed. "I merely want to apologize for my indiscretion at dinner. Teasing you must hurt you. I've felt like that. Believe me, I have felt just as hurt as you are right now."

Lenera froze, shocked. Did he really mean that? She meditated upon it briefly before deciding...

He was bluffing.

"Shut up, I know that's not true! Go away! Go on."

Stormily, she leapt to her feet and shooed Lariaum away by waving her arms furiously; she slammed the door after him about as angrily.

But, once the unforgiving slam of the door had run its course, she leaned against the wall, her hand immediately racing to her chest.

Regret washed over her, an extremely odd occurrence. Honestly, she had never felt this guilty over an outburst before Lariaum came here.

Damn it, why did he do that to her? Why did he have to go and mock her like that?

Lenera despised this feeling of guilt that so rarely came to her. Oh well, it wasn't as if Lariaum hurt over this; he was probably halfway home by now, whistling down the dirt road, his collection of asters in tow.

Why should he even so much as give a second thought about her?

Quite frankly, why should _she_ so much as give a second thought about_ him_?

"_He better not come back here,"_ she thought sourly.


	6. Long Walk Home

**A/N: Hey, it's me again! Well, chapter six is up for all of you to read. I'm not much of a talker today, sorry.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Not even Larxene's haircut!**

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**Chapter 6: Long Walk Home**

Lariaum did indeed walk home on his own, just as Lenera suspected he did. However, he was far from joyous.

The collection of asters gathered in a wicker basket hung limply at his side, his indigo eyes sadly surveying the road ahead of them, and his thoughts in a muddle.

Why did she do this to him?

He did nothing wrong, he thought, merely some cheerful teasing. Maybe not cheering to Lenera by any means, but still teasing. Sighing, he ran a hand through his raven hair, a habit he adopted whenever he felt at unease. This was definitely one of those times.

He remembered how Lenera's teal eyes smoldered into the back of his skull during lunch—and then again, before he left the house. Her angry words actually did sting him, for he had resolved to befriend her at the end of his visit. Didn't she know how desperately he wanted her forgiveness?

Even if she behaved rudely and impetuously toward him, he could see the agony done behind those actions. Perhaps she was accustomed to ridicule all the time at her high school?

Now, Lariaum felt awful, absolutely, irrevocably awful for his own actions; even if Lenera acted in an unladylike fashion, he was equally at fault here.

Threatening to punch her, smirking disdainfully at her, and mocking her with his words pointed to the inevitable fact that he shared the guilt with her, too.

Maybe he should have held his tongue and not have said the cruel things that instinct so desperately wanted to hear, words that injured her in the end.

Did this girl have any friends? If so, were they the best influences for her? Where had her father gone off to so he could give her guidance at such a major turning point in her life?

These questions swam through Lariaum's mind, compelling him to wonder as to why his concern stretched to such reaches regarding Lenera. He had never seen her in his life prior to their chance encounter a mere hour ago.

Why should he remotely care about her or her opinions on life?

He sighed, kicking up dust with his boots as the trilling of birds sounded far off in the distance. Did she even know how perplexing she was?

He assumed that she would graduate in just a few short months, so why did she still act like an angst-ridden thirteen-year-old?

Ah, too many questions! Lariaum had trouble ridding Lenera from his meditating thoughts. This was especially difficult, considering she had subtle, external beauty, a beauty he had not seen since Monique.

He could recall her precisely trimmed blond hair that hovered so delicately above her shoulders, her teal eyes that often glinted with rage, and those lips...

Shaking his head aggressively in order to cease thinking about this, Lariaum pinched the bridge of his nose; he sensed a headache coming on, a displeasing experience.

He had to continue with his arrogant façade, instead of that pitiful display in her room when trying to beg for her forgiveness.

"'I have felt just as hurt as you are right now'? What in blazes was I thinking, saying such falsehoods?" he muttered to himself, despising his reasoning when he said that, especially since Lenera didn't believe him.

Lariaum was determined that today's events would not happen again. He had to remain vain and prideful, just to drive that blond temptress away from his mind.

Displaying his docility, his _softness_ revolted him, and he wondered if he should resume his cruel behavior. There was no taking back the things he said...or what Lenera said, for that matter.

Yes, he must move forward with his life, confide only in his beloved roses, and pretend today never happened.

Lariaum now focused his attention on the quaint village of Fairweatherton as he strode through its humble lanes. He could tell the town didn't boast much, aside from three basic schools, a grocery store, and other basic town necessities. Twilight Town could conquer it by far, this puny place.

Scoffing at it, he took the left path at a fork in the road to arrive at the train station, where he awaited his transportation.

He protected his beautiful aster basket while gazing at passersby with suspiciously cold eyes. Luckily, no one dared to steal his flowers.

So much the better.

And better still, the people provided him with no insults, a surprising yet delightful occurrence. At Twilight Town, he knew, he heard one too many insults directed at him in the past, mostly regarding his anti-social attitude. Basically, they scorned how much time he spent with his flowers instead of living, breathing people who could actually talk in return.

Lariaum heard a screeching halt of wheels that announced his train's arrival. Coolly, he stepped upon the vehicle, ignoring snickers from other teenagers inside once they took notice of his feathered hair.

When the vile laughter persisted as he seated himself by a window, he frigidly told his peers, "Yes, my hair is rather odd. But, at least I'm not a scrawny runt, unlike all of you."

Ooohing meanly, the teenage boys scoffed at his attempt for redemption.

"You look really stupid, though, you know that?" one of them inquired.

Lariaum felt the faintest hint of a condescending smile tug at his impetuous lips.

"I much rather like my look, thank you very much. However, let me tell you this. Assuming that all of you are thirteen and haven't reached high school yet, you know not of the humiliation you will face. Soon, _you _will be the ones whom others will laugh at due to your variously stupid appearances."

And thank goodness, his statement had shut those boys' disgusting mouths!

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**A/N: I'm sorry that this chapter is disappointingly short, guys. It was supposed to be on purpose, so that our young Lariaum can ponder over what he's done. That, and give a talking-to to blissfully unaware idiots. :P REVIEW! I know it's annoying, but I cannot stress this enough.**


	7. Aquaphobia

**A/N: Hello again, loyal readers! Enjoy this chapter, for things will take place--things that I will not divulge at this time.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the clothes on my back...OK, that's a lie. But, I don't own Kingdom Hearts, if that's what you're thinking.**

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**Chapter 7: Aquaphobia**

"So, Lenera, tell me more about this guy who came to your house last weekend. He sounds like an interesting person," Willow entreated of her friend as she propped up her chin with her hands and lounged on the lakeshore.

Lenera apathetically tossed a stone into the murky depths of the lake itself. "He's nothing much, Willow. He's just an arrogant jerk who only cares about himself. And, no, he didn't intend to visit us—he was out picking flowers."

She said these last two words mockingly, disdaining Lariaum's favorite hobby.

Since when did males like flora anyway? Even she disliked these delicate angels that sprouted from the dirt; beauty meant absolutely nothing to her.

However, Willow remained intrigued and pressed, "Oh, come on! He's probably not that bad a person. Besides, you always had something against guys."

"I think you know why."

"Oh...yeah...I forgot about you-know-who. Sorry."

"It's OK," Lenera shrugged lopsidedly, "my dad never meant much to me anyway."

"Somehow, that's hard to believe."

"So, how's your older brother doing?"

With this abrupt conversation change, the two girls went with the flow, keeping their adequate talk going until Willow declared that she had to leave.

"Thanks for inviting me over, Len. I'm still surprised, though, that you didn't invite this Lariaum kid. I would have liked to meet him."

Crisply, Lenera only replied, "I pity you that you didn't. Lariaum is definitely a real charmer."

She could taste the poison dripping off her tongue as she spoke these words, but Willow feigned ignorance, raising one hand in farewell.

As soon as her friend abandoned her, Lenera gazed at her surroundings. Even though she had ventured to the lake this time, it was out of reluctance and the request of Willow.

Truthfully, she despised the water.

Ever since her near-drowning at age six, just two months after her father's departure, she had grown to possess a morbid phobia of the element. She refused to go swimming with her friends, preferred to stay dry at all times, and even loathed taking showers.

At least Lariaum had no knowledge of this suppressed terror, for he would have jumped at the opportunity to inevitably tease her with water. Lenera couldn't help but sigh with relief at Lariaum's unawareness.

After all, who knew what he would do to her if he discovered her aquaphobia?

Knowing that they had a burning hatred between them ever since they first met, she thought for sure that he would never even bother with her again—she did have a habit of driving people away with her anger.

It was a crutch for her, really. Without seething fury, she would be nothing, and she knew it. Though, why did behaving cruelly to Lariaum bother her after all this time? Normally, she would move on when it came to picking fights with random strangers. Why was this different?

No matter, the next time Lenera saw him she would treat him as horrendously as ever. Hopefully, things would return back to normal, and Lariaum would never trespass again. She wanted that more than anything in the world as of late.

Still, she felt compelled to look at her reflection in the water, just to study the rarely solemn face she knew she had right now. She needed to see if any harshness lay in her face, so that she could comprehend her sadism to others.

Gingerly, Lenera edged toward the calmly lapping waters of the lake to enact this sudden urge, despite her phobia. She ceased walking abruptly once she neared close enough to observe her reflection.

It was rather blurry, though she could see her currently blank teal eyes, if she squinted enough. The bobbed blond hair that she possessed appeared disheveled and messy; she never liked brushing it if she could help it. Riana, of course, pulled on her hair anyway with a fine-tooth comb just to peeve her.

Then, it was onto the rest of her face, one that even Lenera despised more than any other person's, one that she could never study for very long.

Her chapped lips were worse in the lake's mirror image of herself, her pixie-like nose that she also couldn't tolerate adding to her ugliness. The somewhat sallow complexion she possessed revolted her in ways of which she could hardly grasp.

Now, Lenera realized why the male population of her high school burst into laughter whenever she briskly strode by them. The origin of the teasing pointed directly to the undeniable fact that she was _ugly_.

No wonder she maintained her status as the only young woman among her group to never have a date!

Lenera had never felt so self-conscious in her life before now, while she ogled her hideous reflection that she dreadfully wished to make invisible. Self-hatred haunted her entire being—she couldn't bear it.

She absolutely had to find a solution to this terrifying dilemma before she could even shed a tear. This pain, this shock of just how terrible she looked proved to be too much for her.

Forgetting the water all together, she kicked her image in the lake away—or tried to.

Unfortunately, she ended up crashing into the water instead.

Lenera had never screamed so much, not since she had been told that her father would no longer live under the same roof as her. And that was twelve years ago, such an extensive time.

Thrashing in the water, she only plunged deeper down all the while shrieking, "Help, help!" over and over again.

Tears flowed swiftly down her face upon a sudden realization that informed her of her impending death. She gasped for air as she cried, endeavoring desperately to push oxygen into her lungs.

This proved futile.

As she nearly reached the bottom of the lake now, sheer hopelessness commanding her to surrender to death, she sensed a presence that pulled her upward.

Someone was helping her escape death!

Lenera sensed an overpowering sense of faith wash over her, one that she had deemed would stay non-existent forever. But, now that a Good Samaritan rescued her from the horrifying waters, her spirits soared to the heavens.

Once her head arched above sea-level, she whispered hoarsely, "Willow?" assuming that her loyal friend had returned.

"No," she heard a familiar voice that she dared not to welcome, "it's me, Lariaum."

"Lariaum?" Lenera almost shouted in recognition, though her voice was deprived of the ability due to its temporary erosion from her screaming.

"Yes. My mother requested for more flowers, so I came here. When I heard you screaming for help, I followed the sound of your voice to the lake. I didn't know you couldn't swim, Lenera."

Ashamed, she turned her head away from him. "You weren't supposed to. In fact, didn't I tell you—?"

"I know," Lariaum murmured, "you told me not to come back here again. But, in all honesty, I didn't want to see you die."

Her jaw practically dropped open upon hearing this confession. How could he possibly be telling her the truth? For all she knew, he could have said that to lift her down-trodden spirits, which seemed strange in itself.

Why did he tolerate her now, of all times?

"Why do you care whether I live or die?" Lenera asked rather stoically. "You should have just left me in the lake to die anyway. Pfft, after all, I haven't been the nicest person to you. So, why do you care?"

"I don't know, but I think...you're lonely."

Lariaum had a sense that despite Lenera surrounding herself with friends, she truly had poor taste when it came to selecting them, and it wasn't sufficient enough to satisfy her. In reality, he pitied her and longed to befriend her now more than ever.

However, the girl in question hardly saw this as an act of good will, for she held back her head and shrieked with malevolent laughter.

"That's stupid! Why would you think I'm lonely? I have five close friends, which is probably more than you have!"

"Since when did this become a competition, Lenera?"

"I'm just saying that I don't think you care about me. In other words, leave me alone!"

Gradually, Lariaum lost his patience with this trifling young woman who dared to defy him and question his motives, especially when he had just rescued her from the chilly lake.

"Why would I want to leave you alone when I clearly and without question wish to be your friend?" he shouted, his fist descending on the ground exasperatedly.

"I don't think you should be—that's why!" Lenera screamed back, preparing to punch him in the chest.

Surprisingly, he resisted the attack merely by grabbing onto her fist, persistently holding onto it.

He recognized that her anger stemmed from the requirement for a decent defense mechanism; without it, she thought she would be helpless.

And as he gazed calmly into her teal eyes, he almost swore that he glimpsed furious tears burning her retinas. How odd.

Speaking in a softer, gentler tone of voice, Lariaum inquired of Lenera, "Is that all? Is this why you shouted at me last weekend—because you had encountered me, a stranger your age, who might judge you?"

He had hit the target dead-on; in fact, Lenera was purely amazed that he could identify her problem so effortlessly.

She nodded resignedly.

"There was no need to fear that. Frankly, people will judge based on how you act and not really how you feel. It's difficult to read others' minds, you know."

Having no response to that due to her tongue's refusal to move normally, she inadvertently gazed at him.

Those softly glowing blue eyes the color of the ocean and the fact that he looked all the more attractive with damp black hair captivated her. She had no idea why, though. Last weekend, she had a desire to say to him how much she detested his behavior to her. But, now that her contemplation had concluded, she realized she did deserve that kind of treatment to truly open her eyes when it came to her sadism. Lariaum had helped her, not hindered her.

"Are... Are you sure you really want to be my friend?" she asked somewhat awkwardly.

"Yes," he confirmed, unknowingly lifting a weight off her conscience, comforting her instantly.

"Thanks for rescuing me by the way. Actually, I have aquaphobia. That's what my doctor said when I was eight. I'm too scared to even use the shower sometimes—don't laugh at me."

"I refuse to laugh at you. I would never think of doing so now."

Lenera sighed in relief and even smiled slightly, a genuine smile that warmed Lariaum's heart. He had never seen her smile, only smirk at him condescendingly; this miracle that had occurred touched him profoundly.

Oddly enough, though, nothing else had ever had this effect on him before. Even Monique, who used to lavish her love by suggesting the best movies to watch in the theater so they could kiss later, had never affected him this way. Besides, the petite redhead had proved her cruelty by rejecting him for, really, no good reason at all.

And yet, here was Lenera, barely more than a stranger to him, whom he already found incredible. To think, that today she would display a softer side that regular people rarely observed, even her own family.

Lenera herself thought it obscurely odd that she had even confessed her aquaphobia to Lariaum. There was just something about him that she could finally trust, and he truly seemed to comprehend the gist of her life, unlike anyone else. Willow, her best friend, was only vaguely aware of the secrets she concealed, the tears that she even sometimes shed hidden.

Yes, Lenera generally kept to herself, refusing to fully open up to people.

So, why in the world should she do the opposite with this boy kneeling before her? Then, she recalled that he had saved her life. Someone who could do that must definitely have a pure soul underneath his acts.

Despite what he had said to her last week, despite the loathing she had felt toward him, she knew that he would serve as a great confidante for her.

Smiling again with intensified warmness, Lariaum suggested, "I think, if it's all right, I will join you for lunch again."

Giving him a kind sneer in response, Lenera only mentioned, "My mom will be surprised as to how much we have gotten along."

The two teenagers hiked about a mile to reach Lenera's house to arrive promptly for the mid-day meal.

Stirring the last of the hearty beef stew that remained from last night's supper, Riana was in for a shock when she espied her daughter walking in a relaxed pace. Not only that, but _Lariaum _strolled breezily beside her, quipping a sardonic joke that made Lenera laugh. Her mother had never seen a smile so much as grace her face in years, not since—

"Hi, Mom," the surprisingly easy-going blonde greeted, "we were wondering if Lariaum could stay for dinner."

Riana nearly dropped her wooden spoon, even spluttering the portion of the stew she had sampled. Yet another surprise—Lenera had classified the boy by his real name and not some random insult. She wondered what had happened for this drastic change of heart to occur.

"I don't see why not. We would love to have you stay for lunch again, Lariaum."

"Thank you, Riana, the pleasure is all mine," he spoke politely in his velvety, courteous tone.

Toppling down the stairs at that moment, Sylvia suddenly disturbed the placid mood by groaning, "Owww!"

Quickly, the sadistic smile barely touched Lenera's lips. "What's with the commotion, Sylvia?"

"Is the end of the world coming? Since when were you remotely civil to people? You never thought of anyone else before this!"

Thoroughly entertained at her sister's expense, Lenera coolly replied, "But, little sister, a change has come over me today. Now, I suggest you welcome our guest!"

She uttered the last phrase threateningly, almost as if she was vouching for Lariaum. Like Riana, Sylvia pondered over her sister's sudden transformation when it came to her behavior.

More questions, however, were brought up during the meal.

"Why are you so wet, Lenera?" Riana inquired, noting the soaked appearance of her daughter.

Lenera herself brought one finger to her chin to contemplate. How was she going to explain to her mother her irresponsible fall and proceed to damage her own pride by retelling her rescue? Displaying herself as humble to Lariaum was one thing, but to her family was completely different.

She exhaled irritatingly in the knowledge that honesty usually is the best policy. So, for this rare moment, she would produce the truth, whether her prideful self liked it or not.

"Well, Mom, I fell into the lake out of total clumsiness. Then, Lariaum saved me and"—her gaze rested on the compelling young man sitting beside her—"I've changed my opinion of him."

Swearing that she heard a gratuitous sigh of relief escape Lariaum's lips, Lenera smiled delicately. "I owe my life to him...so I will no longer insult him."

"Pfft, as far as we know, you won't!" Sylvia scoffed at this portrayal of modesty she had never witnessed in her sibling. Was this all a farce?

Riana, though, seemed to rest uncharacteristically full confidence on Lenera. "I believe you will change for the better—at least, we can only hope."

"Yeah, hope that some miracle is going to happen!"

"Sylvia, I would like you to drop the cynicism."

"But, Mom—"

"Now!"

Barely stifling a giggle, Lenera watched as her younger crossed her arms indignantly while helping herself to her bowl of stew.

Lariaum decided to add to the conversation. "I, for one, have perfect faith now that Lenera will change her demeanor, however long it might take."

The blonde raised an eyebrow mutely in response. Did a subtle offense lie underneath all the velvety texture his voice contained? But, then again, she now placed her undying trust in him. She had to talk to him about this sly attempt at forgiveness later.

"I have to change my clothes."

"Don't forget to clean yourself of that disgusting lake crud. Blech!" Sylvia made a disgusted face.

Even though he assumed that she tolerated him at the very least as of late, Lariaum snared a glimpse and saw Lenera somewhat disconcerted as she ascended the stairs.

What did he say that was wrong enough to hurt her?

He resolved to discuss with her about this troubling matter that caused him to cringe—and just when he thought she refused to hate him.

Ten minutes later, he asked to be excused from the dining table to go to the bathroom. Of course, this served as a little white lie, for he had planned to knock on Lenera's bedroom door in reality.

"Lenera," he hissed once this part of the plan concluded. "Are you finished changing your clothes?"

"Yeah," her voice, surprisingly devoid of exasperation, called from inside.

"Good. I need to discuss an important matter."

"As a matter of fact," Lenera opened her door, folding her arms across her chest, "I need to, too. And it's concerning what you said at lunch. What are you trying to pull this time, Lariaum?"

His jaw dropped open in pure shock. He _knew _he had said something that was completely out of line.

"I was wondering the same thing when I saw a hurt expression on your face as you left. Lenera, I told you I won't insult anymore. I intend to abide by that oath."

"You do?"

"Yes."

To his added astonishment, Lenera bestowed to him a friendly embrace.

"Thank you for everything. I was so afraid what you said was meant to be insulting."

Nothing could conceal the blush spreading like oleo across Lariaum's face. "Uh...uh...you're most welcome, Lenera. I have a suggestion that I would like to state."

He had no idea what his suggestion was but on impulse, he added, "Would you like to go to Twilight Town this Wednesday...as friends?"

Lenera tried everything she could not to allow the grin she wanted to give take hold of her face. "That would be great. And, I'm sorry for accusing you of laughing at me earlier."

"S—Sure. See you later."

With that terse goodbye, Lariaum retreated to his home, wondering why he had stuttered and why this girl compelled him to do such incredibly odd actions.

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**A/N: Yeah, Lenera's dad leaving affected her in a profound way; I kind of wanted her to have a realistic edge within all the fantasy, you know. And, what's this? Lariaum is starting to like Lenera? Will wonders never cease? Will I stop asking all these questions? Well, let me give my answers: something interesting, yes, probably not, and who knows? Ha, another question!**

**My Death Note story will be out in 48 hours, WOO-HOO! And so will a poll on my profile that just asks a question related to one of my stories. I'm just curious. AND REVIEW TCDR PLEASE! And thank you. XD**


	8. Outing

**A/N: Hey, guys, I know it's been a while, but I was focusing on my DN story. So, sorry about that. Luckily, my anonymous reviewer best friend finally inspired me to update because of her many reviews. Thanks, Wolf Warrior! Without further ado, I present this long chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Kingdom Hearts or the places mentioned.**

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**Chapter 8: Outing**

Wednesday afternoon arrived before Lariaum realized it. Remembering the agreement he had made with Lenera, he promptly returned home after school to arrange a bouquet for her. He hoped and prayed that she would like it, despite receiving the vibe from her that flowers carried no thrill for her. Hopefully, she would make an exception in his case.

As he faltered as to picking out a daisy to add to his half-completed arrangement, Flora opened the door with her foot due to the heaviness of her groceries.

"Lariaum," she sighed, "you could have at least opened the—what's this?"

Normally, he tolerated his mother, he truly did. But, this was one of those rare times that he wished she would merely go to her own devices instead of asking about his. It rather embarrassed him.

In fact, he sensed a rouge blush creep along his face as he explained, "I'm just creating a bouquet for a friend that I made over the weekend...nothing special."

Flora raised one eyebrow in response. "Another girlfriend? Lariaum, it's so wonderful to see you back in the dating world again."

He exhaled sorrowfully; if only that were true. "She's just a friend, Mom."

Disbelievingly, she shook her head, though did not press the subject any further, much to her son's relief. He would have hated it if she was coming onto him. For the inevitable truth surmised that Lariaum had gradually fallen in puppy love with Lenera. But, really, it was only a mere infatuation. It surely could not deepen further than that; besides, Lenera had been stubborn.

He had counted his blessings that he even had the chance to call her friend now. To imagine something more than that casual relationship was absolutely ludicrous—at least in his eyes. What about hers?

Lariaum sighed again, finalizing his bouquet with a couple of velvety purple irises; if she despised this effort of friendship, he would be at a total loss.

"I told her yesterday afternoon that I would meet her at the station. So, see you later, Mom," he spoke quickly as he sprinted out the door with flowers in tow.

Meanwhile, Lenera waited with an uncharacteristic patience at Twilight Town's train station, her teal eyes roaming about the horde of people who had come out with her. She inwardly hoped that Lariaum didn't blow her off—it was the one thing that would tear her apart if that was the case. After all, she hadn't placed her practically unobtainable trust in him for no reason; she did it with the idea that he had become more understanding and compassionate.

People greeted each other once all the passengers had departed from the train. They touched hands, smiled, and for one couple, an embrace happened. Lenera sensed a twinge of jealousy ooze its poison into her. Why were they so happy, huh? That blissful young couple was laughing (with the teenage boy playfully touching his girlfriend's behind) while she had to deal with all sorts of ordeals at home. And who knew? Maybe Lariaum had blown her off after all.

"I'm not gonna cry—it's just a stupid couple anyway," she muttered to herself contemplatively. "I see people like that all the time at school. So, why the hell should I—"

"Lenera!" a very much welcome voice shouted above the din of the chatter and gossip the people shared.

Lenera had no control over the grin that contorted her face as she sprinted to her new friend as rapidly as she had ever done in the forest. Ensuring to stop just before she ran into Lariaum, she breathed out a joyful sigh of relief.

"At least you're here. I thought you forgot about me."

He chuckled mirthfully at her comment. "Me forgetting about you? Lenera, why would I even think of committing such an awful crime?"

"Good point...I'm just used to disappointment, that's all." She smiled, though her lips soon distorted into a frown when she saw that Lariaum had hidden something behind his back.

Observing this abrupt change, he smirked teasingly. "I suppose you're wondering what I have for you."

"Yes..."

"Well...even though I wasn't sure whether you would like them or not, I decided that I would give you this." He presented the bouquet to her, unsure of what her reaction might consist.

Lenera appraised the flowers carefully, despite having no partiality to them whatsoever. But, she had to admit, they were very elegant and wonderfully arranged; she proposed that she wouldn't say anything negative about them. After all, the crimson roses piqued her fancy slightly, the irises showed off beautiful hues, and the asters she recognized from the forest. How did he assume that she would actually like these? Could he, perhaps, read her mind? Then again, she knew better that no one was capable of telepathy—this situation was merely coincidental.

The bouquet did compel Lenera to resort to a stunned silence. Barely recollecting that someone had ever done something as kind and thoughtful as this, she felt rather grateful toward Lariaum. As passengers from the next train that had halted two minutes ago rushed by her, she thought time had halted to an inevitable standstill. Her amazement didn't register with the bouquet giver himself, for he had bleakly thought that she hated it.

He remembered how Monique screeched and carried on when it came to receiving that handsome album with the embossed gilded leaf on its leather cover. She despised simplicity and only embraced elegance and grace that would have produced a gift amounting to an entire allowance of munny on his part.

"Um...do you like it?" he asked Lenera cautiously, afraid that she too would throw a tantrum.

"Yeah, it's beautiful." She smiled again, this time with appreciation.

Thank God.

Lariaum returned the entrancing smile he found demure and sneakily grasped her hand before she realized it. Stiffening, Lenera realized that no boy her age had ever touched her hand before. Now that she thought about it, though, it felt rather...comforting to have a hand within her own.

She brushed some strands of her flaxen hair to shield the oncoming blush that threatened to reveal her true emotions. What he was doing was so sweet that she could scarcely comprehend why. But, it didn't matter, only that his hand held hers with such care. She sighed, leaning a little closer to Lariaum than she ever thought she could in her lifetime. What had he done that had enraged her anyway?

An eon seemed to have passed since that encounter in which angry words were exchanged. Now, nothing but bliss existed—she couldn't be happier.

"It's time that I give you a tour of Twilight Town." Lariaum leaned toward her head and whispered in her ear. The barely existent flush on her cheeks spread to her whole face.

"OK," she whispered back, tentative to kill the moment with anything louder than a whisper. And, for once in her life, she allowed someone else to lead the way as she permitted Lariaum to guide her on this tour.

They meandered out onto Market Street, which buzzed with activity. Customers chatted with store owners while passersby greeted an occasional friend enthusiastically. The always nearly dying sun cast perpetual sunset rays upon the warm bricks of the square, the citizens, and the famous streetcars that rode on the rails every day. Light never ran out here, a fact that amazed Lenera. She had rarely seen such friendly people anywhere else but this town, the center of trade for miles around. Honestly, she had assumed she would see more hostility exist; she did know the ways of human nature, after all.

She paused walking for a mere minute, just to take in her surroundings, which looked so ideal to her. Only images like this appeared in her mind as she read her books, she thought. Never could she comprehend that the town in which she stood was real. She tried to convince herself that she was in a beautiful dream that contained her fanciful thoughts. Yet, now she felt a tug at her sleeve.

Lariaum suppressed a smile when he told her, "I know this is a lot to take in for a first visit, but there's so much more to see."

"I feel like I'm dreaming... This is all somewhat cliché yet wonderful at the same time," Lenera commented as she allowed him to lead her to a building with a painted cake on its wooden sign. The cake looked so accurately depicted, she felt a sudden desire to eat it, for it did appear to have chocolate flavor. This she judged by studying the color of the paint. Her mouth began to water by merely meditating over snacking on a tasty treat. And when they entered the quaint shop, the drool forming within her mouth worsened.

The bakery had a homey atmosphere to it, what with its seductive scents of cake, cookies, chocolate, pie, and many more desserts in which to delight. Smaller cakes stood patiently in the display case, almost waiting for a hungry traveler to buy them. Lenera outstretched her fingers to tap them against the glass, which reflected the luminescent sunlight streaming through the windows. Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, carrot, cinnamon—every flavor imaginable being separated by only a sheet of glass. So tempting to merely break it and steal all the goodies inside. Then again, she would probably wind up in jail if she acted with her instinct.

She barely noticed Lariaum's chin resting contently upon her shoulder as she ogled the miniature cakes; when she turned around slightly and discovered this, she jumped a foot in the air.

"What are you doing?" she hissed rather testily, reluctantly removing her gaze from her current fixation.

"I'm just enjoying this moment with you. No need to get angry," he said calmly.

Huffing in sheer irritation, she almost wanted to cast his now approaching hands aside...until she espied his face. He did look sincere after giving his explanation and somewhat reproachful.

Lenera allowed his hands to gently hold her forearms. "Fine, but you really startled me just now!"

"You're suspecting me of pulling a cruel joke on you, aren't you?" Lariaum inquired, still holding onto her arms.

"Well, yeah, I am. I have been made fun of before, you know."

He sighed from hearing that response. When was she going to stop being paranoid and actually, truly trust him for once? He rather tired of her antsy antics.

Before the conversation could escalate further, the elderly shop owner exited from a door with an "employee only" sign on it to stand behind the cake counter. A sweet smile flattered her face as she asked politely, "May I help you?"

Lariaum and Lenera both exchanged glances. Did the owner happen to overhear their heated conversation, mostly on Lenera's part? If so, the old woman showed no signs that she had. And just as well, too; it would have made for an even more awkward talk than it already was.

Meanwhile, what did they want from this bakery anyway? The possibilities had filled Lenera's mind to the brim but now that this woman had greeted them, they had practically turned to dust. If Lariaum hadn't interrupted her contemplation, then maybe she could have...

"I'm assuming my good friend wishes to partake in a cheesecake for a snack, right?" The placid young man beside her looked at her again to be reassured she wouldn't mind buying that slice of cake.

How did he even know she loved cheesecake? She swore that a telepathic bond existed between the two of them. How weird.

"Yes, I do," Lenera confirmed, her mood uplifted from the kindness of her friend. Maybe true friends did this sort of thing for one another.

"All right, that will cost five munny," the owner stated as she opened her cash register. A tinny _ding _announced that the lower shelf of it had been pulled out, waiting for the contents to be stored inside.

Eagerly and with her mouth watering more than ever, Lenera shoved a hand in her jeans pocket. She searched for the currency and realized something, something important.

Payday at the local restaurant in her hometown, her work place after school, wasn't for another two days. Unfortunately, this meant she currently suffered bankruptcy—if she hadn't spent her last seven munny on manga then maybe...

"I don't have the munny," she grumbled, withdrawing her hand in a very lachrymose manner. "I don't get paid for another two days."

Lariaum bestowed to her a sympathetic glance, which she ignored by turning away from the counter. She hardly wished for him to obtain the idea that she stood at the lowest class; in fact, that wasn't the case at all. In any case, sympathy would hardly improve her mood. On the contrary, it worsened along with her stomach growls that had grown more persistent in the past five minutes. She regretted skipping lunch today at school, but that cafeteria food looked gross.

Lariaum, on the other hand, debated with himself whether to give Lenera part of his munny or not. Suppose she would see that act as charity and refuse to talk to him during the remainder of her time in Twilight Town? She was a rather proud person who inevitably loathed humiliation in front of her peers. Still...she had no munny at the moment, whereas he possessed a plentiful twenty munny. He would gamble his chances when it came to her toleration of him.

"I'll pay," he offered as he placed five coins into the bakery owner's hands, secretly hoping that Lenera wasn't wearing that incensed expression on her face.

Two minutes later, they were back on the streets, which they roamed in a carefree fashion that only teenagers possess. Lenera held her box that contained the scrumptious cheesecake protectively close to her chest, as if to ward off any hungry passersby. She knew people and how ruthless they could become, so she wouldn't dare to take any chances. However, her gratitude toward Lariaum for paying for her was immense, despite the fact that he did this in a public place. For, somehow, she sensed that he had not done this out of spite, but for genuine care for her, which she appreciated more than anything in the world.

They strode up Market Street, fleetingly observing a streetcar roll by with passengers who might have been setting off for the night shift at their work. Lenera admitted to herself that these streetcars were rather fascinating and that she definitely had not seen the likes of them in her village. Now that she actually heard their wheels turn and glimpsed their shiny red and yellow paint, though, she vainly wished she could ride in one. Of course, she didn't want to ask this of Lariaum, simply due to the fact that she would reveal a streak of whimsy. And she acted the farthest thing from whimsical as possible, as habit would allow.

"Are you enjoying your time here?" he inquired now, his breath whispering at her ear like a playful wind. She both loved and loathed this at the same time. Explanations were non-existent while she struggled with these conflicting emotions that always expanded when around him.

"Yeah, I wouldn't have expected your hometown to be this..."

"Active?" Lariaum offered, proceeding to shrug nonchalantly after his guess. "I suppose you would think that. After all, I find the country to be more to my liking."

Lenera snorted. "Then why don't you just move out? You're old enough."

"Not according to my mother," he muttered under his breath.

His mother insisted that he remain in his household until he graduated from high school. Privately, he counted the months utilizing his calendar to aid him in this. For, as much as he loved his mother (he couldn't be so certain about his father), he didn't love her to the point that he would live in Twilight Town forever. Besides, he could just picture Lae teasing him regarding this issue years from now if he still resided in the same house on the same street in the same town; Lariaum was never one to put his pride at risk, after all.

"Well, how come you haven't moved out of your house?" he countered once his contemplation subsided. "You seem to hate living there very much."

Heaving an irritated sigh of frustrated exasperation, Lenera said tersely, "Can't. Riana says if I leave before I turn twenty-one, I'm going to be grounded until I'm dead."

Lariaum couldn't stop himself from chuckling, an action poorly received by his friend, judging by the narrowing of her eyes.

"I'm sure she can't be serious."

"Right, I wish. But, she has never grounded me before, that's why. Being grounded until I'm dead would count for all the times I've ever been in trouble in my life....which is, sadly, a lot," Lenera confessed, smelling her cheesecake through the box while doing so.

Smiling ruefully, Lariaum returned his attention to the beautiful sunset that always reigned here. No rain, no snow, just a picture perfect sky with a vast array of colors all day—it came as no surprise that so many people resided here. It had a homey type atmosphere that suited almost everybody except him, of course, the not so gregarious one. Had things turned out differently when it came to his bringing up in this town, he would actually possess the amiable quality that so many Twilight Town citizens had. But, he didn't, many mocked him, and that was that. No wonder his uncle Braig had moved to Radiant Garden the second he turned eighteen years ago.

Thinking of his esteemed uncle deflated Lariaum's optimism for the day. He served as the accepting father that the precocious gardener never had to converse with, and the latter was still concerned for the elder man's well-being.

"What's on your mind, Lariaum?" Lenera broke the silence just then, her teal eyes temporarily unglued to her cake box.

A sigh of lament came as the response. "Nothing."

"Sure. I doubt that," she scoffed, though thankfully dropped the subject. It almost seemed now as though she preferred to spare him from topics he would rather avoid. For that, he expressed his appreciation with a small smile gracing his lips.

Lenera smiled back, and that transformed today into the best day of his life...

...Until a certain redhead decided to make his presence known.

His green eyes glowed delightedly once he espied this "charming" couple meandering about the city streets. What he saw before him was an ideal opportunity to mess with their heads. And Lae liked nothing better than to manipulate others using his ever sharp cunning.

"What's up, Lariaum?" he greeted, faking his friendly attitude. This proved especially true when he flashed his psychotic grin at the pair.

Lariaum immediately put up a hostile front, his azure orbs narrowing suspiciously at his arch-nemesis. "Lae, what are you doing here?"

Lae shrugged his shoulders, though struggled not to laugh. "What am I doing here, you ask? Well, rumor has it that you've taken up a new girlfriend. I take it that it didn't work out to well with Monique, did it?"

Snarling in response, even showing his pearly white teeth, the raven-haired teen made no move to invent a false, sociable guise like he did last time they met. Lenera, in the mean time, glowered toward this very much unwelcome intruder who interrupted their breezy rendezvous.

She quickly strode toward him without thinking twice and asked, "And just who the heck are you, you freak?"

Pretending to wince, Lae promptly replied, "Ouch! You know, that really hurt, Princess. Well, it _would_ have hurt me had I not known that girls aren't that gifted at coming up with insults."

"You idiot!" she shouted in response, pushing up the sleeves of her dull yellow long-sleeved shirt to start a fight. Lariaum stopped this by gripping her wrist tightly.

"No, Lenera let me handle this."

The shocked yet irritated blonde flashed her eyes his way, her anger sending shivers up and down his spine. He hated to see her like that, but the last thing he wanted to witness was her pain, her anguish if she lost. From experience, he realized that Lenera definitely possessed the capacity of a competent fighter. However, Lae could summon all his energy to show that power rested within him and that he could crush her like a bug in two seconds flat. She underestimated him, a foolish error that he, Lariaum, once made years ago....

"That's pretty noble of you, flower boy, standing up for your woman like that. I would applaud you if I had the ability," Lae quipped cattily.

His feline body moved with a fine grace that even a young girl couldn't pull off as he ambled his way along toward his rival. The cat-like green eyes glittered amusedly, as if he treated this like an overblown spectacle that almost seemed comedic. He was always ready for a good laugh at Lariaum's expense.

"But, really, it's that kind of chivalry that's going to end up weakening you. I referenced Monique earlier, didn't I?"

"Who's Monique?" Lenera questioned before she even thought through with her wording. Perhaps she was being used? She had to know whether Lariaum truly cared or not.

"A girl I wouldn't suggest meeting. She is cold, calculating, and will play nice just to get what she wants," Lariaum answered with a (to her) decent response. "She vaguely reminds me of you, Lae. Perhaps you two should go on a date some time."

Lae feigned thoughtfulness as he scratched his chin in what he deemed to be profound contemplation.

"That does sound like an interesting venture, Lariaum, but I'm afraid I'm more in the mood for seeing you weak and helpless."

"Ah, so you're in love with me," Lariaum bitterly joked, causing Lenera to laugh a high-pitched, condescending squeal as a reaction.

Lae hardly appreciated this comment to say the least. He had actually wished for the prize in the form of his enemy's little girlfriend. Admittedly, he did enjoy her feisty attitude and even her agonizing laugh. But, really, she would have served as a mere bonus. For now, he wanted a real fight.

Smirking expectantly, the redhead ran off to "borrow" a Struggle bat to turn this into the most epic, alluring fight of all time...so he assumed. Once he triumphantly returned, he treated the bat as though it was a baton. He launched it up in the air, spun an immaculate 360°circle, and caught it with a flourish. Meanwhile, Lariaum had resolved that he had had enough of these childish games Lae was playing.

"If you wish to fight before the day ends, I suggest you do so now," he informed frostily, a frigid sneer resting on his lips.

Right then and there, Lae tackled Lariaum to the ground, resulting in punches aimed and kicks accurately executed. Townsfolk warily tiptoed by the two rambunctious boys, only bestowing cold glances instead of attempting to break up the fight. It was just that flower boy and the ragamuffin town outcast again, they figured, so why should they ruin their source of fun? After all, they combated like this almost every other day, if not every day.

Lenera was about to make a move to push Lae out of the way, when the redhead intentionally toppled over her, knocking the cake box out of her hands. When she sprinted toward the fallen box, he reached her target first. In a grand performance that he purposely affected, he also pretended to clumsily fall onto the box, which squashed the cheesecake in the process.

"Oops sorry, Princess! Didn't see that dessert you had there!" he insincerely called to her.

"You'll pay for that!" she in turn shouted, standing to her feet and leaping toward Lae.

She was stopped by Lariaum.

"Please don't get involved," he hissed, almost as if he felt as though she stole his thunder. "I'll ensure that he will regret his mistake."

"What are you, sexist or something?" Lenera asked grumpily, crossing her arms in a brooding gesture.

"It's not that, but he had to cross the line. It rather infuriates me."

"What?!? You're the one who—"

"What is this?" Lae interrupted amusedly. "A lovers' quarrel? I would rather not waste my time on that. I think my work here is done. Catch you on the flip!"

Tossing a crude salute to the other two, he abandoned the scene with a puffed chest and a smirk that bragged to everyone that he had won a fight for once. However, nobody cared for the feisty redhead's thirst for attention, least of all Lenera and Lariaum. The latter trudged to a nearby building and sat on the ground while leaning against the wall.

Disapprovingly shaking her head, his friend strode up to him purposefully, frustrated at his steadfastness to sulk.

"You're going to act like that after that fight? Pull yourself together! I'm not going to have one stupid idiot ruin our afternoon!"

"But—"

"No buts; let's just move on and explore the town some more. Besides"—here, Lenera contributed a lopsided smile—"the cake was the only casualty. And I can't ask another of you, considering your kindness."

Lariaum felt his mouth drop open in half-resignation, half-amazement. Since when did Lenera practically mature overnight? "Are you sure?"

She smirked. "I'm sure."

The rest of the afternoon fared smoothly for the two friends without any more interruptions. They shopped, actually rode on the streetcar, and treated Lae's prior appearance like a distant memory. All because, Lariaum thought, of this captivating girl who seemed to improve every time he saw her. How ironic that she be the one to lecture him on pouting when she had done so herself two weeks ago.

Why did he feel as though something beautiful would blossom like his cherished roses?

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**A/N: I apologize for torturing all of you with so many words. XD But, this was a special part in the story, since they're going to Twilight Town as planned. Oh, that trickster Lae doesn't know when to leave everyone alone, does he? Believe it or not, he's a fun character to write due to all the smart-alecky things he says! XD So, REVIEW! Might be updated sometime next week again--I'm going to be busy this weekend for once.**


	9. Hiding Place

**A/N: Finally back to this story! DEALTHY was some serious work, but I'm glad to be back working on this story. XD It's been too long since I left you guys.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own KH nor anything mentioned that isn't mine--that means movies referenced.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Hiding Place**

Lenera watched with Willow television on a languid Saturday afternoon, two months after the outing to Twilight Town with Lariaum. Lenera had become almost best friends with the aspiring gardener, finding his company to her preference now. The visits to Twilight Town served as a weekend affair, usually, but today was different. Lariaum had caught a sinus cold and informed Lenera over the phone that he felt too ill to come to her house, as promised last week. She took this well, though vaguely suspected him of lying, considering her trust issues still existed when it came to him. Hopefully, they would fade away like her hatred toward him had.

"Hey, Lenera, you missed the good part!" Willow tugged insistently at her sleeve.

Grinning, the ever spontaneous blonde pushed her other good friend off the bed. "What do you mean?"

"You know, the part when Legolas practically skateboarded down that rail and killed those Orcs!"

Lenera blew a strand of restless hair out of her face. "I've seen that part a million times already, Willow."

"But it never gets old!"

With a simple nod, Lenera helped her too hyperactive friend up on the bed again. "You drink too much Mountain Dew, you know that?"

"Doesn't matter—you're just jealous that I'm hyper right now."

"Uh-huh," Lenera uttered sarcastically, "that's exactly it."

With soaked hair, Sylvia moodily interrupted this bubbly moment as she stormed into her older sister's room. She hurled a bag of soggy potato chips and an empty can of soda onto the floor, plopped herself down on said floor, and glared at the two girls.

"What's with the random crap?" Willow inquired, pointing to the items that had made up Sylvia's midday meal.

The irritated thirteen-year-old wrung out her blond hair, darkened by water, in a fashion that spoke volumes of her foul mood.

"Look, you just can't keep up the silent treatment with us," Lenera informed nonchalantly, snacking on her own bag of potato chips. "Why are you here?"

"I'm bored, OK!" Sylvia shouted, her lips pouting.

"And _why _are you bored?"

The youngest girl curled her hands into fists and uncurled them just as abruptly. "It's raining, and I have nothing better to do. I hate it!"

"Does insanity run in your family?" Willow murmured into Lenera's ear.

"I'm not sure whether to take it as a compliment or not, but in Sylvia's case, yes."

"Hey, I heard that!" Sylvia fumed and decided to avert her attention to the movie playing. Shockingly, no other complaints spewed out of her mouth, an occasion that pleased both the older girls. Together, the three of them watched the epic battle playing out at Helm's Deep, their eyes glued to the television screen.

Willow managed to languidly ease her way out of one of four bean bag chairs Lenera had in possession to make popcorn for everybody.

"If it's not Orville Redenbacher, I'm not eating!" Sylvia called to the dark-haired girl, which actually impelled Lenera to shriek with her rather creepy laughter. The younger sister's brown eyes widened to ogle at the older one's erratic, unusual behavior that came once in a blue moon.

"They didn't give you any drugs at school, did they?" she inquired as though scared, which she partially was.

"No, I'm actually just enjoying life for once. That a problem?"

"Well...no. But, I think Lariaum did that."

"What do you mean?" Lenera asked guardedly, standing to her full height of five foot seven.

Before the conversation became any more heated than it already was, Riana called from upstairs, "Lenera, someone just knocked on the door!"

Casting an almost stony glare at Sylvia, Lenera slid down the banister of the stairs (an action her mother objected to) to greet this visitor. When she noticed that Lariaum stood outside the door, soaking wet, a befuddled expression overtook her face.

"L—Lariaum?!? What the heck are you doing here?!?"

He smiled calmly at her, a smile that caught her off-guard in a somewhat positive manner. "I felt better enough that I decided to come here."

"You sound perfectly fine than you did over the phone last night," she replied reproachfully, placing her hands on her hips.

His smile widened as he related what had really occurred. At his home, his mother decided to hold a garden party that she had planned since the week before.

Unfortunately, she had disregarded the weatherman's dire forecast for the day of the party by dismissing it as "a load of phooey." Of course, the rain had poured down on Flora and her fellow gardening comrades when they had gone shopping for ice cream to serve. Lariaum's job had been to oversee things back at home, as well as to help the women whenever they called for it. As much as he adored anything related to gardening, he detested this party.

It rather bored him to tears, as the adage states, since playing maid and waiter hardly suited him. The other boys at school had teased him for a week regarding the whole affair! Why should he even have to bother staying at this party (more like a Red Hat Society meeting, he thought bitterly)? After the ladies rushed back to the party headquarters, they adjusted their plans and moved to the greenhouse. An hour of watching them drink tea, update each other on local news, and eat ginger snaps later bored Lariaum. It bored him to the point that he slowly sneaked out of the greenhouse when the conversation turned to a beloved soap opera.

Through the rain, he made his way toward his close friend Lenera, in the hopes that she would forgive him for feigning sick the night before.

With his story finished, he awaited her response. He prayed for the proper outcome and not one in which he would awaken confused in Radiant Garden.

"I feel sorry for you," Lenera actually sympathized with him. "I mean, your mother forced you to be the maid. That's just plain sad."

"I know it, and I would appreciate it if you didn't remind me!" Lariaum groaned, slapping his hand melodramatically against his forehead.

She smiled wryly. "Well, at least you came here. Smart boy. Now...we have this awesome movie playing upstairs in case you want to watch."

And watched the cinematic masterpiece they did until the credits rolled and the franchise marathon continued with the final addition to the trilogy. Lariaum turned to his female confidante just as the opening credits for the next movie showed up on the TV screen.

"You like this movie, as well? In my grade, most of the girls like bleak attempts at comedy. Like that one with the sorority queen going to a prestigious college? Unfunny and very unlikely...but that's just my opinion."

Lenera understood what the miniature movie review consisted and nodded. "Yeah, I hate that movie too—sexist to the max! Hey, it's stopped raining. Wanna go outside?"

"That's perfectly fine by me."

Proceeding to emerge from the cabin, the two best friends wandered about the forest. Leaves from the trees dripped water from the soaking shower and only a few birds could be seen catching worms exposed from the fresh rain. Every other creature had since retreated to their homes, whether underground or a dry place within a tree. Lenera, for once, rather missed the presence of the animals she usually despised. At least they served as items to observe. Now, she was inevitably bored at the moment, her eyes drifting up to the ominous sky. More storms would arrive, she inwardly predicted.

In fact...she heard a deep rumble of thunder right now.

"We've been barely out here five minutes, and the clouds wish to produce more thunderstorms yet again," Lariaum mentioned almost wistfully, as though he hardly minded being caught in the middle of one if it did occur.

Lenera admittedly shared the same sentiments. After all, the rain often reflected on how she felt at the moment. To her, thunder and lightning were the best parts—the water...not so much.

Almost as if the weather had read her thoughts, the said thunder growled more treacherously than ever before. A streak of white lightning flashed far off, though promised some severity. The torrential showers proceeded to consequently pour over everything in their descending paths, the two teenagers included.

"I know the perfect place to go!" Lenera shouted urgently over the increasingly louder thunder. "Follow me!"

Even though she had requested this, she grabbed Lariaum's hand rather tightly as they sprinted toward this destination. The rain seemed to follow them all the way to the certain spot. Drenched at this point, the blonde shoved her dark haired friend into her private cave.

She never even remotely wished to have to show him this place that she deemed hers and hers alone. Why did traitorous fate have to interfere with her plans? Ever since the incident with the mysteriously robed man intruding, Lenera vowed to herself that no other person would ever lay eyes on this cave. And now, here she was with Lariaum, stranded in here due to a currently ferocious thunderstorm that roared outside. Admittedly, though, she grew to adapt to these circumstances, despite the fact that yet another outsider was in the dankness of her "secret" spot. Lariaum had served as her friend for quite a while now, obtaining her gradual trust that she simply didn't give out generously. He truly made her happy, and she was certain that he wouldn't dare to ruin that contentment between them. Still, she watched him warily as he lifted the stalagmite that contained her old belongings.

Silently yet agonizingly for Lenera, he studied each item he pulled out, including an empty bag of mini cookies from yesterday. What he found that disturbed him, though, was the knife caked in rusty colored blood. Sure, it may have aged, but this still did not compensate the sheer terror that Lariaum felt. Would she...?

"Lenera," he began very quietly, "did you ever...cut yourself?"

"That's none of your business!" she snapped, turning toward him after watching the storm raging outside their shelter. Seeing the used, repulsive knife in his hand gave her a horrible shock. That stupid thing from years past had come back to torment her by resting within Lariaum's grasp. He should never have discovered that fact; perhaps she should shoo him away from her property.

But, no, she found that she could hardly do that, now that they had befriended each other. Their friendship had turned so intimate that to destroy it with a foolish tirade would not be acceptable. She had grown too attached, like she feared she would. To see the doubtful look in Lariaum's eyes that remained after her exclamation sent chills down her spine. If she told him the truth, he would shun her and cast her out of his life forever. These inner debates she had with herself persisted until he added to his question rather gently, "I won't think less of you if you tell me the truth, Lenera."

His voice, his beautiful, velvety voice had implored of her to confess what her she had done years ago. It wouldn't hurt her, right?

Sighing heavily, Lenera admitted, "When I went to middle school, everyone made fun of me when I tried to befriend them. Some even resorted to making me feel bad about myself every day. I found that others were willing to be my friends, but it was too late. I was cutting myself on a daily basis until age fifteen, when I tossed that knife aside. It was weakness for me to even consider cutting, I thought."

"So you shut out the world using your anger," Lariaum whispered under his breath, which his friend overheard.

"Yes...but that's not that great either, is it?"

"No, and I'll tell you why," he stated firmly as he approached her and placed her hands in his. "If you do that, you will become a recluse by the time you're out on your own. No one will be beside you or even care. You got to let all the negativity out Lenera, but not like this—anything other than this."

Considering his words and intense, blazing azure eyes that pierced her soul, Lenera found that she had run out of options. With a silent nod, she agreed with what he said; however, her depression worsened. She resignedly leaned against one of the cavern walls and slid gradually to a sitting position. The knowledge that Lariaum had lectured her to protect her was a small comfort. He might as well have called her a freak instead of acting like he cared. A rustling of jeans, though, indicated that he had moved to sit next to her. With a slight smile, she acknowledged his presence gratefully but still wondered if he would reject her now that he was aware of her secret.

Instead of discussing her inner thoughts, she decided to mention the wrath of the thunderstorm. "It's getting pretty bad out there, huh?"

"Yes...yes it is," Lariaum replied rather awkwardly. How did one turn from a topic of ways to forget the world to the weather? He could scarcely believe that Lenera would even disregard what they had just talked about together.

To humor her in the mean time, he added at random, "I suppose there will be no enjoyment for Mother's garden party now. Luckily, we keep roughly ninety percent of our flowers indoors or in the greenhouse."

Lenera's mood turned bitter from hearing that. How ironic that she behaved like thunder, angry and vengeful. Yet, her friend so contrasted from her in personality—it seemed like he could be one of his esteemed roses. She supposed thorns could represent his pride, but everything else about him was so...so...

"You know...in a way, thunder can destroy roses," she murmured, focusing on a flash of white lightning. "In retrospect, thunder warns of a thunderstorm that ends up shredding the rose's petals. They just can't get along."

Admitting to himself that this almost poetic reply startled him, Lariaum pondered over why Lenera would speak so pessimistically.

For one thing, she was using metaphor in this, something he usually did but would have never expected of her. He eventually figured out this unconsciously said riddle: that he was the rose and she the thunder. That made slight sense, excluding the glumly stated theory that the two elements would not complement each other. Had their friendship not been successful? True that it started off rather shakily, but once they knew each other better, everything worked out. A gentle smirk tugged at Lariaum's lips; he had just idealized the perfect response to such hopeless words.

"Without the thunder, Lenera, then how is the rain supposed to set in? The rose thrives on the rain that ensures its strength. The truth is that the rose is nothing without the thunder."

Shocked at the cleverly worded opinion that seemed so much more optimistic compared to hers, Lenera straightened herself up rigidly. How could he be so sure about this? The two of them were doomed to have their friendship crumble, right? However, the truth in this reply eased her in the realization that they could agree with each other. Roses, as well as all flowers in general, needed the showering rain to survive. Thunder usually heralded such a positive element...to seemingly help the rose. She grudged the fact that she liked Lariaum's theory much more than she did hers. Yes, the rose and thunder can complement each other...

...And, perhaps, come to lo—

Just before that last thought in her mind completed itself, Lenera glanced at her friend, recognizing that she could fall in love with him. On the contrary, she was probably doing so already.

Very cautiously, she leaned toward him, unsure of his reaction. Lariaum, though, found that he delighted in the fact that she cared about him. He cared about her in return—seemingly always had since the day they met. Tentatively, he welcomed her embrace, aware that Monique had hurt him in the past. How could he possibly move on when his heart had been so misused by that witch? He stared at Lenera then and knew the answer: he could and would move on, just as long as he had this captivating blonde. Their lips currently neared each other while they wished all the while that this could happen, that no rejection would take place, no hearts broken. Lenera clung to Lariaum, eager yet apprehensive to kiss him. She realized that perhaps that was all she ever wanted, all she ever needed. This one young man had listened to her throughout most of the time they had been together. She hoped it would stay that way.

Just before their lips locked, however, an amused voice shouted, "Whoa, will we finally get to see a bit of tongue action between these two?!?"

Sylvia glared reproachfully at Willow, who had interrupted and tarnished the moment between the two potential lovers. "We won't now, will we? No thanks to you, we're caught."

And they indeed were. Lenera and Lariaum, flabbergasted at this unprecedented ambush, merely ogled the two unwelcome visitors. Then, the former smirked. An idea had sprung to her mind that could have her and her accomplice reap the benefits.

"After them!" she yelled playfully, scrambling to her feet and proceeding to chase her sister and best friend in the premises of the forest. Lariaum noted the immaturity, though chuckled under his breath to join Lenera in her quest to punish Sylvia and Willow. While he sprinted to her side, a single question filled with curiosity was asked within his mind.

Was Lenera honestly prepared to kiss him?

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**A/N: Yeesh, Willow was subtle. XP Sorry, guys, for not having Lenera and Lariaum finally kiss. You're going to have to wait a while for THAT to happen...if at all. I prefer to be cryptic, after all! XD**

**REVIEW PLEASE! It would be nice. **


	10. Loss

**A/N: Woo, finally updated! This chapter is a little sad, yet at the end, I hope you guys feel better. That's all I can say for now. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own KH.**

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**Chapter 10: Loss**

A week had passed since the visit in which the kiss almost occurred, and Lariaum found that he could not stop thinking about it all these days. However, one event practically shook him to the core. It started out as a regular Saturday morning as he groggily woke up at ten o'clock. Just as he prepared himself to go downstairs, he suddenly overheard the telephone ringing; his plans changed, so that he could listen to this conversation. Flora had answered the call, he could hear, and he pressed his ear firmly on the floor.

"Hello? Oh, Irene, how are you?" she greeted enthusiastically as always. Irene was Lariaum's aunt who dropped by every once in a while. Usually, she would never call, especially in the morning. Something urgent must have come up, something that wasn't OK... Determinedly, he kept on listening.

His mother responded currently, "That's good. How are the kids? Great! And have you heard about—oh. Is he going to be all right? Oh, Irene..."

The conversation had taken a drastic turn for the worse, he could tell by the abrupt empathy in Flora's tone. His assumptions proved correct as she continued, sounding on the verge of tears, "Oh, that's awful! I never thought—surely, he knew this was a risk. Oh, my Lariaum is going to be so devastated by the news. Has anyone found the body? No? Hm, that's strange... We will definitely come for the services. Mmm-hmm, though I admit I never wanted to hear a call like this. I'm sorry for your loss, Irene and those poor children... All right, we'll see you next week. OK, bye."

The constant "oh" on his mother's side of the conversation definitely did not bode well. Lariaum realized what had happened just as she called toward upstairs, "Lariaum, wake up, honey!"

Of course, he had been awake for the past five minutes, so he dutifully descended the stairs to his grief-stricken mother. Foolish as he was to ask this, he went ahead with it anyway. "Mother...is everything all right?"

Suppressing a sob with her hand, Flora shuddered as she stated grimly, "It's about your Uncle Braig. He...he...was involved in a terrible lab accident with his colleagues. All of them are... They... Honey, I'm sorry, but as far as your aunt knows, he's gone."

Part of his world shattered at that moment, though a quiet numbness swept over him. This traumatized him worse than that silly break-up with Monique, worse than when his peers first teased him. What happened to him now made both of those seem trifle.

Usually, the first step in dealing with loss or any such circumstance is denial. Of course, Lariaum wanted to deny this with a passion. How could the man who was like a real father toward him be gone so soon? His youngest child Oni hadn't even graduated high school yet, whereas his oldest had just been recently engaged. All these family events he would miss. How was that even possible?

"Mother, let's think rationally," Lariaum advised, though he did the opposite of that. "Perhaps it was a rumor that spread around Radiant Garden and managed to make its way here. Maybe someone else was in the accident."

"No...no, it's true, son," his mother reassured him, her voice quavering. "It's all over the newspapers, your aunt says. All who were involved in this pointless heart study got in this accident. I've lost a brother because of this. And...whoever thought up of such a thing—heart study—is...is an absolute idiot!"

Her emotions were getting the better of her, as were Lariaum's. Anger, the next step in grieving (a rather fast process, though slow toward the end), overwhelmed him. He tired of his mother's mourning over her brother, his uncle. He looked up to his Uncle Braig. Surely, the middle-aged man would never let himself die this way. It was impossible!

The fists that he pinned to his sides shook with suppressed emotion. "He's not dead, Mother! He can't be! He was like the father I never had. Father...I don't even like Father! Braig was my father. Erik...my biological father is dead to me."

"Don't say that, Lariaum! I know this is hard to handle right now, and emotions are definitely running high. But, don't ever say that your uncle was your real father. It...it can't be possible. Your father did all he could to—"

Lariaum felt hollow inside as he listened to his mother's words. However, he held up a hand to silence her when she got to the topic of Erik. "He tried to, Mother. But, he didn't try nearly hard enough. No, as far as I know, the one who was remotely like a father to me is gone. He, as much as I hate to say this, can never return to this world again. And now, it seems like I have no one!"

With this impassioned last sentence, Lariaum made for the door to the greenhouse, opened it, and slammed it shut. Alone in his pain, he retreated to his beloved roses, seeking comfort from them. He disbelieved that Braig had really died, though realized that it did happen. His body might not have been found at the scene, but what else could have happened? His insistence to go forth with this stupid research was his downfall in the end. Lariaum tried not to weep as he thought of all of this. Braig had a wife, children, and someone who served as a son to him. For, he never had sons in his life, only daughters; he saw past what Erik deemed Lariaum's flaws and accepted the boy as his own. Memories surfaced within Lariaum's mind of a time when hearts didn't matter, only the love of a family. He remembered a particular time four years ago, when at age fourteen, his father had yelled at him for tending the flowers instead of fixing the then broken television. Lariaum had raced to Uncle Braig's house five blocks away to tell that story...

_"And then, I knew that Erik hates me. What did I do wrong, Uncle Braig? I only wanted to help Mother with the roses, and my own father can't accept me for that. He can't accept my dreams or passions," Lariaum told his uncle, who perched on the living room recliner and listened to his distraught nephew's woes. He sipped a cup of coffee, ignoring the television buzzing dully in the background, something Erik refused to do. All Lariaum's father was concerned about was the latest results of the paternity test on a trash TV show. At least Uncle Braig showed that he cared in this way, forgetting such garbage. He had never made television his life, only his family._

_Finally, he responded concernedly with, "Well, your father shouldn't have even been like that in the first place. He should accept you for who you really are, not just what he wants you to be. You get good grades in school, right? You're a good son, and you have friends who like you. If that's not success, I don't know what is."_

_Lariaum grinned from hearing these words of wisdom, words that Braig scarcely spoke unless absolutely solemn. "You're right, uncle. I guess Erik just doesn't think I'm manly enough to be a son. What difference does that make?"_

"_Yeah, well, never understood why your father wanted kids—I think if a girl would have been born instead of you, he'd still be on his ass watching TV all day and finding faults with her. It's not like that with me and my girls, I can tell you that right now."_

_As though he possessed psychic abilities, Braig finished saying this just as his daughter Oni stepped into the room. Her large blue eyes stared at Lariaum for a few seconds before she smiled hugely. "Hi, Lariaum!"_

"_Hi, Oni. How's my favorite cousin today?" Lariaum inquired, feeling more content than he had been in the past hour._

"_Great! Hey, Daddy, is Cousin Lariaum staying for dinner?"_

_Uncle Braig chuckled heartily while switching the television off. His nephew hadn't come over in a while, so his daughter did bring up a favorable suggestion. "Sure, why not? Lariaum, you wanna stay for dinner? Irene's making her famous homemade vegetable soup tonight."_

"_I'd love to, uncle," the flower lover murmured graciously. The acceptance he gained in this house was almost like a favorite food of which he couldn't eat enough. At his house, only his mother loved him. Here, everybody loved him._

"_All right! Well, that's set. So, how about the three of us play darts. What do you say?" Braig suggested, wearing his warmest grin._

_Oni and Lariaum eagerly agreed._

The rage seethed through Lariaum now while he stared morosely at his precious crimson roses. He pounded his fist into the dirt that encased their roots and shouted, "Dammit, why did this have to happen to him?!? Why did he leave for science when he had Aunt Irene, Oni, Rami, Akita...and me?"

With this, he burst into sobbing, grieving for his lost uncle, who may never be found again. Tears watered his roses that day instead of the watering can he dutifully used every day. His suffering hurt him worse than any teasing word at school. Eventually, three hours later, he did wander up toward his room in which he locked himself the rest of this awful Saturday. His mother called for him to eat dinner, but he refused to come down. What would ruin his appetite worse was eating while thinking about Braig and his father seated across from him, slurping his portion of miso soup as though nothing happened. Lariaum could not bear that right now.

So, he resolved to call Lenera, who probably stayed at and around her home today, as usual. Maybe he could count on her for some solace. Once he heard her rather snappy "hello" over the phone, he smiled instantly. Only she could answer a call like that.

"Lenera, it's me. Today hasn't been the best."

"_Oh, I know. I heard the news reports and actually read the paper this morning. Lariaum, I'm so, so sorry for what happened to your uncle."_

At this stage in their friendship that bordered on the edge of love, he had told her everything about himself, including his favorite uncle. He recalled the way she laughed when he told a funny story about Braig once. It involved him eating so much chili at a family reunion that the toilet at Lariaum's grandmother's house was backed up for weeks. Those were the days...

"I am too, Lenera. I never thought he would...I'm sorry," he apologized as he stifled a weak sob. "He was like a father to me unlike my real one. And it upsets me that he's gone."

"_That must really hurt you. Family means a lot to me too, you know? Anyway, Lariaum?"_

"Yes?" he inquired, avidly waiting for her to continue.

"_Whenever you need me, I'm there. Just so you know that—that's what I want you to know. I'll always be here for you, OK?" _Lenera told him, tender in her phrasing.

"Thank you, Lenera. I appreciate that. I'll see you soon."

"_See you too, Flower Boy. I hope you'll get better somehow, some way."_

He heard the click of a phone hanging up, so he cautiously hung up his, too. It was then that Lariaum realized how important Lenera really was to him.

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**A/N: So at least Lariaum found comfort in Lenera for this sad time in his life. Yes, I "killed" off Uncle Braig, who actually means a lot to Lariaum. This chapter really didn't stem from my own personal experience, but I thought a deeply personal chapter would make Lenera and Lariaum even closer. By the way, this chapter made me a little sad writing it. So, sorry for putting you guys through a sad chapter.**

**REVIEW PLEASE! I hope that this chapter was OK.**


	11. Loyalty

**A/N: OK, guys, prepare for an emotional roller coaster ride chapter that you won't believe. It's insane, but you will surely like the outcome. I hope.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Kingdom Hearts, because...because I don't! XD**

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**Chapter 11: Loyalty**

A dreary Sunday afternoon passed in eerie silence for Lenera, who decided to be by herself in her cave. The ominous gray clouds outside promised rain again, and she wondered if they purposely reflected her current mood. Sylvia had been in one of her foul moods and actually did the yelling for once. Her mother seemed more distant than usual, judging by the way she absentmindedly cooked that day's lunch. That meal had consisted of a strange mixture of scrambled eggs, shrimp, and bacon for some reason. Lenera preferred to place the blame on lack of sleep on Riana's part. Why else would she have thought up such odd foods to be arranged together on the same plate? Willow had resolved to attend a protest against the killing of cattle for the making of beef (again), and Lariaum...

She didn't know what Lariaum was busy doing, but it certainly wasn't spending time with her. Then again, he may have his uncle's funeral to go to, though he hadn't told her. Quite frankly, he had barely conversed with her since Braig's mysterious disappearance. The last time he visited, he only gave one word responses to everything Lenera said or asked. Apparently, he thought that she had bluffed when she had honestly told him that she would be there for him. To think, he seemed so enthused regarding this the moment that statement passed through her lips. Then again, that conversation had been over the phone, so who knew what really went through his mind? For all she knew, he could have lied when he expressed his gratitude.

And did he even _like _her any more?

With an exasperated sigh, Lenera glared at that stupid door that still remained in the cave. What the heck did that thing lead to anyway? Was it a shortcut to an amusement park or something? That cryptic robed man had never even showed up after that one appearance a few months ago. She wondered what his purpose consisted—she pondered over a lot of things, inevitably. Thinking about that door and that man only taxed her mind, even infuriated her. Maybe if she opened it, she would find out what lay beyond it, and her curiosity would finally come to an end. However, she was starting to think that the most horrible things imaginable would surface in her own backyard if she opened the door. After all, the cloaked man's tone had expressed little to no emotion; he had seemed so cold that day. She had distrusted him on sight.

Just as she expected, the rain started to fall, though it was a light drizzle. The last time it rained, she and Lariaum had almost kissed; she remembered that fondly enough. Too bad that he probably wouldn't have, even if Sylvia and Willow hadn't interrupted. It definitely served as an undeniable shame. Her love for him may as well be unrequited, for maybe he merely saw her as a best friend. That would make more sense than true love, definitely. As Lenera's bitter thoughts passed in slowly painful succession, she heard angry voices outside. Her teal eyes widened with surprise, she carefully peered out of the cave to see what happened. Her mother stood on the threshold of the cabin, her hands firmly placed on her hips. She looked highly displeased to receive the visitor, who appeared vaguely familiar...

He possessed flaxen hair and a tall figure, from what Lenera could discern all the way from her cave. She suddenly recalled how, when she was a little girl, this man with the tall figure would hoist her to his shoulders. And sometimes, when they went to the village for grocery shopping, he would buy her a candy bar at the check-out lane. And, other times, he would...

All these memories came in such a rush, she almost thought she would receive a headache. The memories taunted her, teased her concerning the life she could have had...if he had stayed in the family. Yes, she knew who this man was all right, better than anyone else. She would recognize him in a crowd.

She noticed her mother pointing toward her cave, to which she promptly retreated. Apparently, Riana had tired with arguing with this definitely familiar man and wanted him out of her way. Lenera knew she had inherited that trait from her at least. But, why did it have to come out at a time like this? She didn't wish for the blond man to approach her with any offer of reconciliation. Truthfully, she could never forgive him what suffering he had bestowed upon her and her family. He left them with some restitution money from the divorce and memories...all for a woman ten years younger than him. As far as Lenera was aware, he still dated that woman, but she knew not her name nor did she care. Why care about that when the man supposedly her biological father abandoned her?

Rage filled her heart, though she calmly stepped out into the rain to greet her father. She hadn't seen him in twelve years, so he just decided to make an appearance now? It hardly made sense to her, the injustice of that. If he longed so badly to disappear from their lives then why had he returned? Her birthday wasn't until June, for one thing, and for another, she wouldn't have wanted him to come anyway. She had silently willed him out of her life forever, though he currently approached her with a false smile. It had to be fake, because that would prove he didn't sincerely care about her well-being. Would twelve years elapse without him otherwise?

"Hello, Geoffrey," she greeted him icily, her lips sternly forming into a hostile snarl. How dare he come back!

"Lenera, how's my little angel?" he inquired, as though twelve minutes had passed, rather than long, agonizing years.

She longed to tell him to beat it, to say that she would feel better if he would immediately leave their premises. Instead she responded, unmoved by her old nickname of "angel", "I'm just fine, thank you."

She treated him like she would have an acquaintance at school, for she honestly felt distant from him. That distance served as the sense that she was cut off from him and his stupid, wealthy life. Oh, yes, he received millions of munny as an entrepreneur of sorts now. Funny how leaving your wife and kids can reap that much success. Lenera's teal orbs sharpened in their intense gaze as she attempted to stare her father—Geoffrey—down. He appeared none the worse for wear from her facial expression, pretending that their father-daughter relationship still remained stable. On the contrary, though, it had fallen apart years ago, ever since the day he left.

"Well, I came here with an invitation." He raked back his golden hair while taking a piece of elaborate stationary from his jeans pocket. Lenera promptly grabbed it, appraising it suspiciously. Her anger increased as she registered the invitation as one that "graciously invited you" to the wedding of Geoffrey and Risa that would be held on June 20th.

Her birthday, go figure.

At first, her fury threatened to grip her heart tightly to the point that it tempted her to scream out loud. Instead, she started laughing in her cold shriek that chilled many of her bullying victims. Her idiot father actually saw this as a sign of pleasure and grinned back.

"I hope you will come as our maid of honor. Risa would love to meet you. I'm glad you're so happy for us."

The condescending smirk eroded from Lenera's face, replaced by a rebellious frown that displayed her true feelings. As if she would want to get acquainted with that homewrecker woman who destroyed her life! Strong emotions controlled her this time, her voice rising with each syllable. "Why would I even want to go to your stupid wedding, Geoffrey? And as maid of honor?!? This is an outrage! How dare you pretend things aren't different! THEY ARE!"

Geoffrey's warm, clearly put-on smile disappeared as her emotions escalated to the point that tears rose in her teal eyes that unfortunately matched his. She wanted to punch him like one of those cruel boys at school—anything to drive her pain away. Her heart broke from the cold knowledge that her father chose to marry that...that woman. She would never ever call her Risa.

"You made me feel like crap, you know! All those years, I was hoping you would come back, but no! You were too busy with your 'business' and your 'beautiful girlfriend' to care about birthdays or holidays or anything like that. Guess what, Geoffrey? I want you to...to...STAY OUT OF MY LIFE FOREVER!"

Wasting no more time to even register her father's reaction, Lenera ran away, sobbing like a newborn baby. She chose to escape her reality instead of confronting it. As childish as that was, she didn't care. Her life as she knew it had been partially destroyed. She could never look back now. So, she firmly resolved to sprint as far and as long as her legs could carry her. Her vision blurred by tears, though, she kept crashing into trees.

The forest, her silent best friend, could injure her as much as it liked. For, the pain of physical injury served as a far better hurt than emotional injury. However, she could only run into the tall oaks so many times before surrendering to sitting. She proceeded to sit, counting her bruises after stumbling into the tenth consecutive tree in a row. Burying her head in her knees after the counting, she cried her heart out. All dreams and plans were shattered now all because of a lousy invitation she had long since crumpled and discarded. Yes, she littered, so what? She could do anything while her pain persisted. Even if it meant disregarding a familiar though more welcome voice that could lift her spirits—she blocked that voice out with her desperate sobs. Why would _he _be here now? One visitor was all she could take, not two. What would visitor number two bring anyway? Quite frankly, visitor number one had brought her too much pain.

But, this second visitor wrapped his arms gently around her as he drew her into his warm embrace. Why would he do this? She didn't need his pity, his sympathy, though she admitted they did feel...nice. Still, he could never genuinely understand what went on in her tumultuous mind. Being haunted by her past today had crushed her to the breaking point. Her best friend didn't need to see her like this, so vulnerable and weak from the constant sobs that shook her. And yet, he stroked her hair lovingly, caringly. She couldn't help but feel immense gratitude toward him for trying to comfort her.

"Lenera, what happened?" he whispered as he bestowed a soft kiss to the top of her head.

"My father...came back and invited me to his wedding," she whispered back, for she could not voice her thoughts coherently for once.

Lariaum gazed emphatically at her, which made her realize he had had his own relationship problems with his own father. Maybe, in that respect, they weren't so different. But, at least he knew what to expect out of his father. Geoffrey had offered her the invitation so promptly that she had become both shocked and enraged. She leaned her head against Lariaum's chest and heaved a tortured sigh to release all of her inner anguish. It worked, much to her relief. This boy who held her right now served as the shining beacon of hope that could rescue her from her restless sea of emotions. No one else understood like he did, no one else cared to his magnitude. Everything about him was perfect, as far as Lenera could tell. No flaws existed within his personality, excluding his fake arrogance.

Finally, after minutes of peaceful silence, Lariaum responded to her explanation. "I find that rather insensitive of your father to pull a shameless stunt such as the one today. He abandoned you, left you, your sister, and mother to fend for yourselves. Then he just appears with an invitation to his second wedding? It's ridiculous! I can't believe he'd have the nerve to show up, after he hurt you like he did. Lenera, I'm so sorry."

Hearing that word sparked her fury again, for what did he have to feel sorry for? What he had put up with was scarce compared to what she had to suffer through. Every time she thought she achieved happiness, it was snatched away from her. Before she knew it, Lariaum might drift away too, after his supposed loyalty. It would happen, because she was who she was—the jinx.

She angrily threw his arms aside and started beating on his chest, regardless of her dignity. Geoffrey had ruined her dignity today, so what else was there to lose? Her fists pounded on Lariaum again and again, though each punch became weaker. She could never truly hurt him like this, especially when he firmly wrapped his arms around her once more. Proceeding to stop with her heartbroken tantrum, she started crying. So pathetic that she sobbed, but she couldn't help it. She almost assumed her life of agony should end, though a few words from Lariaum changed all that, made her stronger.

"Lenera," he murmured softly, "I'm in love with you. I'm not just going to leave you now, even if you're angry. No matter what you feel, I am always going to love you."

Choking on her tears, Lenera stared deeply into his sincere azure eyes, the ones that had always entranced her. He wasn't lying; he loved her and only her. That fact gave her renewed emotional strength as she coiled her arms tenderly around his neck. To hear him say those words and mean them brought great joy to her, despite her anger and sorrow minutes before. As long as she was with him, nothing could stop her. With a bright smile on her face, she kissed him passionately, her cup of happiness now overfilling. How drastically things could change with just one person who cared.

"I love you too, Lariaum," she whispered after the kiss, and he smiled brilliantly like always. Everything seemed back to normal now. Her careless father had probably left, and now, her best friend had just become her boyfriend.

When she asked him to dinner, he immediately assented, and both of them wandered back to the cabin. A still cranky Sylvia opened the door when Lariaum promptly knocked.

"Why is _he _here, Lenera?" she asked her older sister testily. "Can't you see my hair is a mess? There can't be any visitors here today!"

"True, true," Lenera acknowledged, barely suppressing her grin, "but Lariaum is an exception. He's my...my...boyfriend now, right, Lariaum?"

"Right."

Sylvia nearly received whiplash when she looked quickly at her sister and at Lariaum. Very surprised indeed with this outcome, she was almost at a loss for words.

All she disbelievingly shouted was, "Shut up!" and clumsily fell down from so much confusion.

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**A/N: Well, there you have it. Lenera and Lariaum are officially a couple. Yay! XD Now, guys, I have this idea, and I want your opinion on it. Please, it's important! I was thinking of next chapter being a prom chapter, though I'm not sure. Would any of you want a chapter like that? If so, please tell me ASAP! Because if not, well, I'll just move on with the original plot that was in my head.**

**Reviews inspire me, they give me hope. XD So please review!**


	12. Dance of a Lifetime

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A/N: Sorry, guys, for not updating until today. I have a fairly reasonable explanation for it, though. I went to the dentist on Wednesday to get a little work done on my gumline. So, I have suffered pain the past two days, and I finally got to updating for you, my readers! You're welcome. XP But, anyway, since I didn't receive any comments rejecting it, I went with the prom chapter. I hope you guys like it. I'm kinda unsure about it myself.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

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**Chapter 12: Dance of a Lifetime**

It was inevitable that prom tickets would start being sold at Lenera's school. However, it could not have come at a more opportune moment. To the student council's surprise, she walked up to them with a smile and promptly bought two tickets for her and Lariaum. These popular kids didn't even see that coming, for Lenera was supposed to be the resident bad girl. Everyone in her class considered her the one who bullied and tormented her peers. But, since Lariaum had declared his love for her, things had changed. She had officially retired as a bully and decided to become somewhat nicer. Still, she refused to make her change in personality too drastic. After all, she could snap at people any time she wanted, though it just didn't happen as much as it used to. Love could make people do funny things.

When she gave Lariaum his ticket, he grinned and kissed her right in front of Sylvia and Riana. However, the latter two saw this almost every day now and treated it like it was the most normal occurrence in the world. Both were happy that Lenera had found her happiness after these several years. Sylvia suggested that she, her older sister, and her mother walk to Fairweatherton to shop for dresses. Despite the rather sparse size of the town, it did manage to have a shop that contained clothes for every occasion.

"Get this orange one, it looks good on you!" Sylvia entreated, practically shoving the dress in Lenera's face.

"I don't look good in orange...or yellow...or green...or re—"

"I'm sure you will look perfectly fine in anything, Lenera. You have my figure, after all," Riana half-bragged, though smiled jokingly.

The blonde smiled back as she carefully scanned all the evening gowns, trying to find the perfect one that could impress Lariaum. She merely wished to see the amazed expression on his face. But, which one would he...?

It came in the form of a strapless pearl-white dress that seemed to stand out to her. Fate seemed to have intervened in order to make this an easy decision for her. Before she could stop herself, Lenera felt her jaw dropping at the sight of this simple yet elegant dress. She had rarely seen anything as beautiful as that. Then again, she had never worn a dress before in her life, except maybe once in kindergarten for picture day. Sylvia breezily strode over to where Lenera stood to give her spoken seal of approval. The younger sister loved to play the part of critic.

"Wow, that dress might be _the one_, Lenera," she stated, almost as breathless as Lenera was.

Without hesitation, the older girl resolved to take it off the clothing rack in order to try it on. She hoped that it would fit her well, considering it was the only one that interested her. It absolutely had to fit, or else why even bother looking at the other gowns? To her relief, the white gown accentuated every curve in her body, and, when she glanced at herself in the mirror, her skin seemed to have glowed. Her decision was set when it came to dresses—the white one was undoubtedly for her. In fact, it might as well have been made for her, since its elegance struck her as impeccable. Wearing it made her feel like a beautiful white lily on a floating lily pad. Lenera proudly exited the changing room to let her mother and sister see her in this perfect fashion creation. She managed to stun both of them with her presence.

"You look like a young woman. It suits you very well...," Riana said rather slowly as tears welled up in her eyes. "You're all grown up, Lenera."

"Told you it was the one," Sylvia boasted, punching her sister in the arm to show her approval.

Two weeks later, prom night had arrived, much more quickly than Lenera had anticipated. She sat on her bed, staring at her image reflected in her mirror. For some reason unknown to her, she felt like a princess in her white gown and matching high heels. She never even thought she would wear high heels in her life! All week she had spent practicing to walk in them, which paid off after stubbing her toes quite a few times. In her graceful hand, she held a red carnation for Lariaum's corsage. The prom at his school wouldn't be held until the weekend after this one. However, he only planned on going to one prom, and that was hers. He had said to her that he wouldn't even bother preparing for his simply due to the fact that he "looked forward to going to one prom, but not to two." She smiled at the memory, for he had stated it so firmly, almost as if he hated the prospect. That made sense, considering the high school event wasn't such a big deal to her. She could care less who wore the respective crowns of king and queen.

A knock on the door signaled Lariaum's arrival, much to Lenera's great joy; she could hardly wait for him to see her in such a different way than usual. Leaning toward her mirror, she anxiously patted her already neatly combed hair once more to ensure that she would look beautiful in his eyes. Normally, she would disregard such a feat, but tonight was obviously special. After that glance in the mirror, she proceeded to put on slightly more mascara in the bathroom. There, now she had fully prepared, she thought with a huge sigh of relief as she slowly descended down the stairs.

Lariaum stood very stiffly upon watching her, his sapphire eyes filled with an adoration she knew meant his approval. He held a lovely bouquet of crimson roses just for her. She felt admittedly flattered that he went so far as to get one for her. And he looked so handsome and dapper in his traditional black tuxedo. Lenera swore she practically blushed at the mere sight of him in his formal attire.

Once she walked toward him, he whispered in her ear, "You look beautiful, Lenera," before he kissed her lips briefly.

She grinned. "And you're very handsome...more so than usual."

Chuckling, he handed her the bouquet while she in turn placed the corsage in his lapel. "You have such a way with words."

"What do you mean?" she inquired before adding, "You're the one who uses some words I haven't even heard of."

Riana and Sylvia decided to intrude upon this moment, cameras in hand. After all, Lenera could only go to her high school prom once.

"Smile, you two!" Sylvia smirked as she focused her camera on the pair. "This is what you're going to have to get used to all night long."

"I'm sure they don't take pictures that often, Sylvia. I know when I went to prom—"

Lenera interrupted her mother, "Sorry, Mom, but now isn't the time to get nostalgic."

So, Lenera and Lariaum posed for their pictures before leaving the cabin, walking hand in hand. During their walk, they talked about a variety of topics, pointedly their future graduations.

"I managed to get by on grades to graduate, I think," Lenera told her boyfriend, smirking at the thought of all those times she acted out during class. Despite the numerous detentions, she still did adequately in all of her classes. True, she wasn't the smartest in her grade, but she wasn't the stupidest either.

"I have to make the valedictorian speech at my graduation," Lariaum said calmly, "but I'm not too worried about it. As long as Lae or Monique don't sabotage the whole event, I'm fine."

"As I'm sure you will be," Lenera assured just as they reached the entrance to the one fancy bit of architecture that Fairweatherton had to offer: the hotel.

The rest of the night seemed to fly by once the two of them had arrived at the hotel. They enjoyed the beverages and the endless dancing. However, Lenera warned Lariaum beforehand that she was an awkward dancer and sat out for most of the festivities. She didn't know why, unless it was self-consciousness, which she hoped hadn't come back to haunt her tonight. Sure, she feasted on the snacks as she watched Lariaum occasionally have a drink of punch. When he wasn't doing that, he danced by himself. A weird occurrence, but nonetheless one that made Lenera feel extremely guilty. She gulped down her regret concerning the whole thing and definitely seemed like a hypocrite in this dress. It was at this moment that Willow came up to her with her date Damon Ocean on her arm.

"Hey, Len, what's up? Why aren't you dancing?" her best friend asked while performing a twirl.

"I'm just...awkward at it."

"Oh, I see. You're not used to going to high school social parties. I'm not either, and I'm having a heck of a time. Right, Damon?"

"Right, and besides, the slow dance is about to start after they announce who the king and queen are."

"Well, I'll consider it then. Thanks, guys." Lenera smiled wryly, observing the two of them walk away.

One of the student council members walked over to what served as a stage at that very moment to announce the prom king and queen. Suspense filled the room until the member said one name that Lenera had barely heard of before. The second one turned out to be Fawn Woodsworth, the girl who she and Willow practically trashed every day.

"I knew those things were fixed," Lenera muttered under her breath as the king and queen headed to the middle of the room to share the traditional dance. Everyone else slowly danced with their dates, though it looked as though they barely moved. She sighed, playing with a stray lock of her blond hair. Out of all times to admit to herself she couldn't dance, it had to be at her high school prom, of all places. Lariaum made his way toward her sitting form, a concerned expression on his face.

"Why won't you dance?" he whispered softly, surprising her from his lack of anger toward her.

"I kind of suck," she admitted. She nervously tapped one of her high heeled feet out of anxiety for this five minute song. It had barely been two since it started, and part of her screamed to dance with him. Another worry she had was if Lariaum would leave her now and tell her what a horrible time he had. She didn't want that to happen.

But, he stretched a hand for her to grab hold, offering her for this slow dance. "Then I'm just going to have to show you, aren't I? Seriously, Lenera, I think tonight is a rather ill-fitting time to have any insecurity regarding dancing."

Stifling her laughter, she smirked at him. "I think so, too."

"Come with me," he entreated tenderly.

With a nod, Lenera gave her consent and grabbed his hand. The pair of them strode over to the dance floor to share this magical moment. Lariaum held her waist, drawing her intimately close to him. This proximity brought some heat to Lenera's cheeks, though she disregarded it. Deliberately, she wrapped her arms around his neck, which she nuzzled gently. In the very instant she did this, she realized she had nothing to fear about this. It was just prom, and, compared to what both of them had gone through this year, nothing. The rhythm of the slow music seemed to take hold of her as she swayed back and forth against Lariaum.

Of course, dancing was easy. So, why didn't she think that way before? Maybe nerves had impelled her to refuse being closer than she had ever dared to be with her boyfriend. He understood her; furthermore, he loved her with a strong, heavy passion. At this point in their relationship, nothing could tear them apart.

He titled her chin upward with one finger. "See? This isn't so bad, is it?"

"No, I guess not."

"Like I said before, nothing could make me stop loving you. Even if it means you're an inexperienced dancer."

Chuckling under her breath, she waited until he ceased tickling her lips with his breath and closed the limited space between them with a kiss. This dance was one of a lifetime. She could see herself telling this to her children, her grandchildren, and, if she lived long enough, her great-grandchildren. Everything about this night, though she had told Willow herself prom was no big deal, was magic.

* * *

**A/N: Sadly, now I have to set to updating my other KH story back a couple days. Oh, well. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. And, please, PLEASE review. I haven't received any reviews for the past two chapters, and every little bit helps. XD**

**This should be updated on Thursday or so. Bye for now!**


	13. Invasion

**A/N: Finally, I have updated! Sorry for not doing so sooner. No, I did not fall off a cliff, just experienced a little technilogical glitch on here. But, I'm back now! XD And I have this chapter to make it up to you guys. Again, sorry for not updating sooner.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts**

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**Chapter 13: Invasion**

Lenera and Lariaum continued to go on dates long after prom, long after both their high school graduations (which they attended for moral support) had concluded. In fact, three years passed, and they still communicated with each other via email, since they went to separate colleges. Lariaum went to Twilight Town University, and Lenera attended Worthington College, which was at a city miles away from her hometown. She missed everyone, especially her beloved boyfriend. He surprisingly (a surprise to her) remained faithful despite the long distance that would usually break most couples. They chatted online every day after classes ended, updating each other on that day's events. Today, Lariaum was pleased to discover a new message in his inbox from Lenera aka ElectricNymph12. Twelve had always been her favorite number, after all. He logged in as a smile curved his lips, eager for a rare morning conversation between them. She usually never got up that early unless it was something exciting.

Lariaum wondered what would cause her to wake up at six o'clock in the morning, considering her laziness. Only one way to find out...

**FlowerBoy11: **What has made you email so early, Lenera?

**ElectricNymph12: **Awesome news! I'm going 2 a party tonite.

**FlowerBoy11: **Interesting. Hopefully, this won't interfere with you getting your desired degree in Art.

**ElectricNymph12: **U can never talk in online speak, can U? XP

**FlowerBoy11: **If using proper grammar every day of my life is so wrong, then sue me! ^_^

**ElectricNymph12**: LOL! Still as polite as ever, huh? XD

**FlowerBoy11: **And you still have that stubborn streak I fell in love with. Goodbye for now, Lenera. I have to get to class soon.

**ElectricNymph12: **Me 2 (sighs). L8er.

Logging off his browser, Lariaum picked up his much too heavy load of textbooks to walk down endless stairs to botany class. His roommate soon joined him on his way.

"So, did you get that homework assignment done in bot, Lariaum?" Haru asked, cautiously descending the stairs so as not to drop his books.

"I sure did. It took me five hours, though—yet another sleepless night for me."

"Yeah, me too. But, hey, if it means I open up my own florist shop and get rich off it, then I can do as many essays on Mendel as needed."

Lariaum chuckled as the two young men finished taking the stairs, striding down the corridor to get to botany. It was very fortunate that he receive a roommate who possessed the same common interests as he did. He worried upon the first day of class two months ago that a sarcastic, cruel boy like Lae would be in the same dorm. For some reason, that troublesome redhead had mysteriously disappeared shortly after graduation. Two years later, he was declared legally dead. In the mean time, he and his new friend quietly entered the classroom and took their usual seats in the back to whisper before the professor arrived. His life at TTU could not have been more perfect. He could still, in a sense, talk to his girlfriend while he made friends at the same time. Best of all, he now lived miles away from his parents—graduation munny covered those expenses, though barely. As long as he no longer heard Erik's incessant suggestions to work at the mechanics shop, and as long as his mother didn't cry every two seconds out of nostalgia of her son, he would manage all right.

Later, after classes stopped for a brief lunch break, a classmate from his English class strode up to him while holding a piece of paper with messy handwriting scribbled all over it.

"Hey, Lar, I was thinking that you might wanna come to my party on Saturday. It's gonna be all downright wild. We have the refreshments if you know what I mean, and I just got this massive stereo and—"

Despite the fact that he was flattered since hardly anybody had approached him with an offer like this at high school, Lariaum replied, "Sorry, Yuki, I can't go. I prefer to avoid social engagements, since they might entail me getting intoxicated. I cannot risk that with a girlfriend miles away."

"I totally get you, bro. You have commitments, I get it. Then again, your type is kinda rare, you know what I'm sayin'?"

"Exactly, Yuki. Thanks for the offer, though." Lariaum turned away to venture outside in order to obtain some sea-salt ice cream. Once he got the dessert, he wandered over to a burger joint for a double cheeseburger. He might have still retained his lithe form, but his appetite proved bigger than anyone he had ever encountered here. Even Haru, who was known to have a whole pizza at once, was amazed by his roommate's lust for food.

As he ate the delectable burger delightedly along with eating a side of fries and drinking a milkshake, he thought about his ambition. Majoring in botany was the key for him if he wanted to discover new species of flower. His grades in that subject had been exemplary, so he didn't have to worry too much about it. He imagined making flora hybrids too, flowers that he could sell at his own shop one day. Of course, he took into consideration of Lenera's dream of becoming an artist, which truthfully, she had scarcely thought of prior to graduation. The proceeding summer, though, consisted of her painting the forest she had always loved. The birds, the trees, her special cave—she had managed to capture them all on canvas. She said she preferred oil paint, for it looked so much better on canvas than the other paints she tried. Acrylic she detested due to its very messy, splattering nature. Maybe if she moved to Twilight Town after college, she could make a career out of her new-found passion. Only two years remained until the both of them could graduate. Lariaum pictured all the dates they could go on, and finally, an ideal fifteen carat diamond ring...

The sound of frightened screams interrupted both his daytime reveries and fast food meal. Curious as to what caused these blood-curdling yells, he quickly discarded his lunch to race outside. Much to his surprise and horror, an enormous cloud of black seemed to cover the whole university. Even from where he stood, he noticed students who had eaten in the cafeteria run frantically away from the building. His good friend Haru was one of them. Concerned for the well-being of his fellow classmate, Lariaum sprinted toward him to learn what had encased the school.

"Lariaum, you won't believe it, man! There are these black creatures with antennae and creepy glowing eyes. They've killed two people already, and there's nothing that can stop them!" his normally good-natured, calm friend panicked right before his eyes. This scenario definitely bode ill for the occupiers of Twilight Town University. He considered all the options that crowded his usually sharp mind at the moment, wondering which one would be the most suitable. He realized that since hardly anything could kill these creatures, maybe one implement would. Once he thought about it, he turned around to run as fast as possible toward home. As much as he despised this idea (it could scare more people than ever), desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Where are you going, Lariaum?!?" Haru shouted, frenzied at this point from bone-chilling fear.

Lariaum paused for a second to respond, "I'm getting a gun to try killing those things."

With that, he abruptly resumed his run until he slammed open the door to his house. A stunned Flora dropped one of the bouquets a customer had ordered.

"Lariaum, what's wrong? Did something bad happen at school?"

"It is gearing up to be a full-fledged catastrophe, Mother. I need a gun for defense purposes. There is an invasion at our school of foreign creatures. I have to stop them."

His mother bit her lip to the point that crimson blood dripped down her chin. Believing this story, she realized that her son's strong determination would not allow him to change his mind. She headed to the back of the store to retrieve the emergency rifle used to frighten robbers if they ever intruded her store.

"I hope you know what you're doing, son," she told him, trying to keep calm under so much stress. "Just...if it gets very serious, just get out alive, you hear me? If this gun doesn't work, don't try to be a hero. Run. That's my advice anyway, and I hope you can heed to it."

Lariaum sighed while running a hand through his raven hair, aware that he would end up having to disobey Flora anyway. Still, he had to say something to reassure her, for his mother didn't deserve this anxiety.

"I will try, Mother. And, if I don't make it, tell Father that I am sorry that I could never make it up to him in this lifetime."

Tears streamed down her face as she nodded slowly, agonizingly watching her only child, her only son walk out the door.

Toting the rifle over his shoulder, Lariaum raced as vigorously as before back to the university, where the situation had become far worse. He even passed a lifeless corpse on his way toward the horde of mysterious creatures. Kneeling down to briefly glimpse the face, a pair of vacant green eyes stared back at him. A collection of messily scripted papers surrounded him.

"Yuki," he murmured sadly, but his sorrow soon turned into rage, an indescribable sort of rage that haunted him. He had to avenge his friend's death by killing the creatures. The time for witnessing had ended, since he vowed to himself that he would take action. The rifle was in his possession, so what other option could there be? As though they read his mind, the creatures suddenly leapt out in front of him, surrounding him in large numbers.

Haru was accurate in his description of these pathetic looking monstrosities. Their bodies twitched as their golden eyes filled with some sort of hunger Lariaum could not identify. Assessing the situation of what exactly these things desired, he observed a captive heart in the short arms of one of them.

"So that's what you want, huh?" he muttered under his breath, knowing that even though he was outnumbered, he could attempt to save his own life.

He pulled the trigger of the rifle and started shooting.

Even bullets proved useless, for they darted right through the beings without taking their lives. Lariaum shot again and again without success. Worse, the rifle no longer held any bullets. He cursed under his breath as he resorted to whacking the creatures with the weapon, doing everything he could to rid his university of them. Aware that he directly went against his mother's wishes by indeed trying to be a hero, he continued beating his foes out of frustration. What else could he do in a scary time like this? An invasion threatened his school, his friends, and his own life. He would die trying to triumph over these creatures.

Unfortunately, his strength weakened, and he soon grew weary. He desperately used his judo moves, but they did nothing. Haru was right in the fact that nothing could kill these beings that seemed to originate from hell itself. He wasted his last throes of strength on warding off one of them as it reached a wiggling claw toward his chest. Lariaum felt a tugging sensation in that area, which impelled him to fall back. They were all over him now, and his options were gone. Saving his school had failed, his doom fast approaching once he found that his sapphire eyes started closing. He fought against death with his final breaths, though he did glimpse a curious sight. A cloaked stranger seemingly stood triumphant in front of him. Lariaum recalled that Lenera informed him before they both left for college that she had seen a brown cloaked man in her cave. The twist to his point of view, however, was that this stranger was not clad in brown. No, he wore a black robe with a long silver zipper that glinted in the sun.

After his life flashed before his eyes, Lariaum thought about one more person important to him: Lenera. He remembered her blond hair, her sparkling teal eyes, their romantic slow dance at prom...

Everything soon faded to black.

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**A/N: OH NOZ! Lariaum fell victim to the evil Heartless. T_T Sorry for doing that to you guys. And the fact that this bad thing happened on the thirteenth chapter was only coincidental, I swear. Well, I'll only say that next chapter is gonna be sort of sad, too. So, get on the roller coaster, guys, 'cause it's gonna be a long bumpy ride. In a mood sense, of course. XD**


	14. Sweet Surrender

**A/N: Hello again, everybody! This is my last chapter typed before school starts (sobs). But, anyway, the story is not over yet. Get ready for sad stuff, though. You may need tissues.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

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**Chapter 14: Sweet Surrender**

Blissful with her college life and the brilliant social life that went along with it, Lenera entered her dorm room considerably happy. Chatting with Lariaum online this morning seemed to have that effect on her. He charmed her, and she hung on his every word. Well, not quite—she still possessed her independent streak. Co-ed friends ate lunch with her, and the rest of her classes proceeded normally albeit dully. Life could not get any better for Lenera.

However, once one delves into a mood of absolute contentment, something is bound to crush it into dust.

She flipped on her small, cheaply bought television to watch the news. What it told tonight, though, threw her into a state of irrevocable shock.

"_The top story tonight is a rather disturbing report coming out of Twilight Town," _the anchorman morbidly announced. _"An invasion of mysterious creatures broke out at the local university this afternoon. Five students' lives were claimed in this deadly attack. We have a reporter live at the scene. Naomi?"_

Slightly worried upon seeing the damage done to Lariaum's university, Lenera nibbled on her fingernails. She had given up that habit in eighth grade, but it had decided to return with a vengeance at this horrible time.

Still, she had to know that her boyfriend emerged from this attack alive. Then, she could attend the surely fabulous college party in peace without fretting over his fate. She knew Lariaum very well of course, aware that he would never allow himself to die this way. Her teal eyes glued to the television, she prayed fervently in her heart that he made it. He had to, for his perseverance through his life's struggles amazed her, always had.

"_Well, Hiro, I am indeed live at Twilight Town University, where the incident took place. The strange creatures that took siege earlier today have since disappeared. Unfortunately, the school's staff and students alike are grieving over the deaths over five of its members: Yuki Hatori, Helena Redmond, Akio Uchida, Ulna Seiko, and Lariaum—"_

Lenera stopped listening to the breaking main news story after the name of the love of her life was mentioned. Everything in the dormitory seemed to crash around her, shattering into pieces. Of course, this hardly happened, but it certainly happened with her heart. An iciness grabbed hold of her, refusing to release her limbs as she sporadically trembled. This could not have occurred. He was still alive! News reporters fabricated stories for ratings all the time...right?

Aside from that, the pundit's lips still moved, relating the disastrous event that did indeed befall Twilight Town University. Through her suddenly deafened ears, Lenera randomly heard that it was the top college in the whole quad city area. So what? Would that bring her boyfriend back? Then again, they surely lied about that. Maybe it never happened at all, only the sheer tranquility that the quiet, sleepy little town could possess. She remembered falling in love with it, adoring every shop she espied and those red and yellow streetcars, one of which she had ridden...

But, as much as she loathed admitting it, the catastrophe _did _happen.

Due to the overflow of grief taking over in place of shock, she screamed out loud, "Lariaum!!!" with heavily felt sobs tormenting her afterwards. She would avoid going to that stupid party. Who cared about the onset of spring break a week after this? Lariaum, her treasured best friend and love, was dead. And she couldn't do a thing to prevent it, she realized while her roommate casually opened the door. At this point, Lenera curled up on her bed, crying her eyes out over the pain she sensed, the worst agony she had ever felt in her life.

"Hey, Len, what's wrong?" Sophie asked concernedly, throwing her books aside to stride over toward her visibly shaken friend.

"My boyfriend died...," Lenera whispered, the tears ceasing their flow. She really had no idea why they stopped either.

* * *

Once spring break debuted silently, to her anyway, Lariaum's funeral took place at a beautiful country cemetery. What served as strange, though, was that no corpse had been found. The local police had searched every corner of Twilight Town with absolutely no success, much to the distraught of Lariaum's family. Now, the members could not gain the closure they so desperately needed in the most tragic of circumstances. Despite the lack of a corpse, the coroner still pronounced him legally dead. In normal cases, Lenera would have been furious over the citizens' near apathy to finding her lost love. However, at the funeral, she kept an emotionless face with no tears streaming down her face. Ever since she saw that fateful news report, she regressed to a state of constant shock with hardly any emotions. Misunderstanding people called her cold for this, when in actuality, she died inside the moment her tears stopped.

Flora wept bitterly over her son's death as she placed white roses upon his vacant coffin. The flowers symbolized the pure soul Lariaum always possessed, the caring spirit that always comforted Lenera in her time of need. She still couldn't believe he was gone forever. Why would there be no body otherwise? As for her possibly deceased boyfriend's father, he managed to shed a few tears, too. Of course, he would grieve over the relationship with his son that he could never fix while Lariaum had lived and breathed. That was more than Lenera could say for her father if she happened to die.

A gentle wind blew over the site as the pall bearers placed the coffin down in the hole and proceeded to bury it. The somewhat comforting breeze reminded her of Lariaum, the boy who would forever remain in her heart.

* * *

After the funeral, Lenera opted to be private all the time by staying in her room. This concerned Sylvia and Riana, who both knew that Lariaum was a great loss to everyone he ever met. They reluctantly slipped her meals under the door after the failures of attempting to force her from her room. It just could not be done, with Lenera grieving so depressingly. Television no longer brought her joy, reading she contrived, and she no longer pursued her painting. Her artist's well had dried up, as though death stole it away from her. All she did now was lie languidly in her bed and eating when she needed to. One day, though, Willow came over to visit, asking why Lenera did not go out and enjoy spring break.

"Ever since Lariaum died, she just hasn't been the same," the now fifteen-year-old Sylvia sighed, staring at her snack of celery and peanut butter dismally.

"Yes, perhaps you can try to gently get her out of her room," Riana implored, very concerned over her daughter. "She really does need a friend to convince her."

So, without much thought on the matter, Willow ascended the stairs to fulfill Lenera's family's request. After all, a lonely college student during spring break was not normal. Then again, what happened at TTU was not normal either. Knocking on the door to her friend's room, Willow told her, "Look, Len, it's me Willow. Your sister and mom are really, really, _really _worried about you right now. Believe me, I can't stress that enough. Just...I know what you've been going through is tough, but Lariaum would want you to—"

Startling the black haired girl, Lenera screamed, "Don't mention his name ever again! Do you hear me?!? You just think I can get over this?!? I'm _never_ going to get over this! The love of my life is dead!"

Willow sighed, knowing that same old enraged Lenera had to come out like a fire-breathing dragon from its lair. "I'm not asking you to get over him. You never will, enough said. But, your love would want you to keep living your life...just not in your room, OK?"

This second lecture actually got through to Lenera, for she opened the door wearing a very wry smile.

"You're a stubborn goat, you know that?"

Laughing out of relief, her best friend guided her out the door to the great outdoors that the blonde so loved. They wandered through the woods as though time had not passed. Three years since the two girls graduated, and the forest retained its magical essence in a way. It made them feel younger—ten years younger, which compelled Lenera to wonder why she hadn't set foot here for about a week. Eventually, they approached her cave across the gurgling, crystal clear brook to regale themselves with nostalgia. They reflected upon their entire lives, both the good times and the bad, enjoying their companionship they had always shared since elementary school. A girl-to-girl talk was exactly what Lenera required for some sense of stability. She thought she had gained it until she espied a black robed personage standing in front of the mysterious door. Was he (or possibly she) best friends with the brown robed guy or something? Scooting away from the door, she and Willow exchanged glances. Whoever stood there surely couldn't bear the best of tidings.

"This door will open. In fact, as soon as I leave here, it will," the stranger murmured cryptically before using a strange teleportation device to leave.

Her mouth dropping open out of surprise, Willow seemed at a loss for words. But, that was before she burst into hysterical laughter.

"Ooooh, Lenera, the big, scary door's gonna open! We better run!" she shouted, which made Lenera laugh less enthusiastically along with her. She felt like she had landed straight in the middle of a horror film.

"I don't know, Willow. There was another guy here before. He told me—"

Unfortunately, she never had the chance to finish her sentence. The door did indeed open, revealing creepy black creatures in its wake. Willow's mouth dropped again, so that Lenera had to prop it up for her.

"Holy crap, they're like aliens or something!" she yelled in a more frightened tone this time. "OK, Len, we should run for serious. I mean, we're not gonna die. Even if we do, you can have my collection of CDs and—oh wait, you'd be dead, too."

The flustered blonde stared at her friend with glazed teal eyes. "Will, I appreciate the comic relief, but NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR IT!"

"Oh, OK, if you insist."

"And I'm gonna fight these off," Lenera stated determinedly. "Warn Sylvia and Mom for me, and go to Fairweatherton as fast as possible."

"But, Lenera—"

"Now!"

And with that order, Willow reluctantly followed her friend's order by racing toward the cabin as swiftly as her limber legs could take her. Meanwhile, Lenera looked the creatures in the golden eyes as she took out the knife she had used long ago. Brandishing it at them, she showed more courage than she truly felt on the inside.

"I don't know what the heck you guys are," she told them in a daring tone, "but I'll make sure you never come back here again!"

So, she attempted fruitlessly to slice them into shadows and dust. Her constant failure at warding them off angered her as she continued jabbing her knife into them. Ill-fatedly, it was as though she stabbed it through thin air. This battle lasted longer than Lariaum's as Lenera pulled out all the stops in order to kill these creatures. As she fought ten of them at once, only one was needed to murder her. Indeed, it did as it held her heart on display for its peers. They wiggled joyously around in their sick way.

While Lenera saw the last of the light she would ever see, she thought over her life. Lariaum she reflected on last, remembering his smile and his voice. Maybe she would join him in the afterlife, where everything would be as beautiful as he was.

She died with totally no regrets.

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**A/N: Believe me, guys, I rushed to finish this. So, sorry if it's not that great toward the end. I didn't have time for an epic fight scene like I did with Lariaum mysteriously vanishing. Oh, well. **

**Lenera is no more...for now. That's all I'm saying. Also, I'm considering having Willow show up in some of my other KH stories possibly. For some reason, for a character making somewhat cameo appearences, I like her. Don't know why. Probably because she's here for comic relief.**


	15. Someone New

**A/N: School's back for me, guys, so if I'm not updating this as often, that's the reason. Sorry. DX I hate school, but hey, we all have to go back to it SOME time. Anyway, here's chapter 15 to hold you over. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own KH.**

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**Chapter 15: Someone New**

She eventually opened her eyes to see a small, rather cramped corridor through a foggy wall. The young woman pressed her hands to this wall, which she found was solid yet at the same as wispy as a trail of smoke. She soon realized that somebody had encased her in what she could only describe as a pod—a very futuristic looking one at that. Anger, devoid of its fiery strength, swept through her body in a strange sense. It was almost as though she lost her emotions before her entrapment, a weird perception she could barely understand.

"Get me out of here!" she screamed in a commanding tone to whoever the idiot was who did this to her. A dreadlocked man dully walked over to the pod to clearly check her progress. Being treated as an experiment did nothing to calm her false anger either.

"I said—!"

"I heard you," the man tonelessly told her and proceeded to press his own gloved hands onto the wall, which fell away like the scattering of dust.

Harrumphing half-triumphantly and half-irritatingly, the woman leapt to the floor. Her teal eyes appraised the man before her, though she glared at him as he did so. No one disrespected her like this! She placed her hands on her hips while tapping one booted foot out of annoyance.

"Who are you?" she interrogated, never letting him out of her sight, for she definitely distrusted him. She couldn't exactly tolerate him after he placed this injustice on her.

The dreadlocked man rolled his sapphire colored eyes, answering, "My name is Xaldin. I am ranked Number Two from our Organization XIII and am titled the Whirlwind Lancer. Does this answer your question?"

Walking closely around him, the woman looked at him still with disapproval, a disrespect that reached its lowest. Even though she barely knew him as a person, she already despised him and slightly felt condescendence toward him. Compared to him, she appeared far more superior, far more regal than he could ever possibly be. She wondered what this Organization XIII was all about, which at the moment consisted of stuffing people into uncomfortably sized pods. Their motives seemed rather uncanny to her, differing from most villainous groups. Then again, she had never even heard of such groups.

A sneer played on the woman's lips, since her current situation amused her. How could she take Organization XIII seriously? She would never bow down to them as their obedient slave. On the contrary, she deemed her worth too valuable for such a pitiful demotion. No, she decided to tease Xaldin, toy with his mind as only she could perfect. It was always what she did best.

"So, Xaldin," she drawled his name as she casually leaned against the now empty pod, "why are you here and why did you place me in this pod? You look too stupid to accomplish that type of task, don't you think?"

She gazed at him with a feigned innocence that was overly sweet in its execution. Xaldin glared at her while trying not to snarl out of hostility, much to her amusement. However, she meant seriously by her inquiries, for she really desired to know just what this Organization wished to do with her.

Sighing exasperatedly, Xaldin informed, "You see, we are currently adding members to our growing group. We saw how you battled as your former self and were rather impressed by your skills. So, we will have you on as a member."

The woman wore a puzzled brow once she heard this explanation. For instance, what did he imply by the term "former self"? And for another, who exactly was in charge of this group? She hoped that they were all equal, because she refused to lower herself to someone supposedly superior to her. This time, as she interrogated, her questions came off as snappy and rude.

"What did you do to me? And who is in charge of your little idiotic organization?"

He leaned toward her, his eyes glinting darkly and sinisterly. "I was assigned to erase your memories you had as a Somebody. You are now a Nobody like the rest of us. And, as a Nobody, your emotions have been permanently taken from you. You have no hope of regaining them unless our Superior solves our problems for us."

So, the situation was out of her hands. The woman thoroughly disliked her fate, especially the fact that memories from the past were gone forever. She would have at least liked to know who she was before this heartless monstrosity. Gritting her teeth while defiantly clenching her fists, she glared in a deathly manner at Xaldin yet again. The time for taunting him abruptly concluded, and her anger rose in a heated manner.

"You know what? What if I don't want to work for you? And I don't work for anybody. I live my life my own way! No one can tell _me _what I can or can't do!" she shouted, flicking back strands of her flyaway short blond hair that had two antennae-like pieces that somehow would not come down. An electric energy coursed throughout her whole body at this moment, pulsing through her very veins. Ready to release her rage on this dreadlocked imbecile, she noticed that kunai formed on the tips of her fingers. Upon this sudden observation, her wrath somewhat died down as she glanced upon these. Meanwhile, Xaldin coolly smirked, for she had unknowingly reminded him of another topic he wished to discuss with her.

"Ah, I see you have your power on display. Interesting that your element should be lightning. Of course, its pulsing, electric strength should be placed on an easily angered individual such as yourself. Very fitting indeed, and your weapons have materialized as well—it looks like you will be inducted earlier than planned."

The woman watched as her kunai vanished as soon as he finished his rather arrogantly posed explanation. Still, she was not altogether placid due to his statements. Why would she want to join Organization XIII to serve a master she refused to accept? Absolutely befuddled like this, she gaped like a fish out of water while pondering over her fate. Must her life consist of emptiness? A life devoid of emotions sounded like one not worth living. Maybe death had eluded her grasp when, honestly, she should have died like anyone else placed in her circumstance. She was unsure if she even died, for this could be the prologue to a new life if it was new at all. Now, she wished that she regained the emotions she should have possessed instead of whatever she felt at the present. Did she feel anything? What a confusing predicament in which she had landed herself!

As though reading her mind, Xaldin stated grimly, "You can either accept your fate as an Organization member or you can turn your back on it. If you do the latter, though, heed these words carefully. You may never get your heart back again if you choose the wrong path. So, choose and wisely. Our Superior will gladly provide you with his help—take you under his wing, as one might say."

What choice was there left? Folding her arms across her chest, she realized that Xaldin had presented her with an opportunity of a lifetime. If she turned this offer down, she may never find her heart again. Perhaps she should give this Organization XIII membership a try, to test the waters. Proving herself worthy, she could gain what she had lost in no time at all, granted the Superior's opinions on fairness.

"All right," she finally relented, "I'll join your precious gang, since there's at least something in it for me."

Xaldin victoriously smirked, aware that his Superior possessed correct assumptions regarding the girl's acceptance. "Good. Now, all you have to do is follow me."

A purplish-black, malevolent portal appeared seemingly out of nowhere, much to her surprise. This Organization even used weird teleportation devices to get around. Shrugging to signify her evident indifference, she stepped into the portal after him, and it swallowed them up. She waited a few minutes and found that they currently stood in front of a hovering castle. It looked as futuristic as the containment pods and just as white. A certain symbol, clearly the Organization's, painted the very front of it.

Once the two of them ventured inside, the woman glimpsed a white haired man clad in a black robe stride slowly toward her. He carried himself with great importance, so he must have been the aforementioned Superior. Offering her a hand, he said with obviously forced politeness, "I am Xemnas, the Superior of our glorious Organization XIII. You must be the future Number Twelve. It is indeed the greatest privilege of mine to be standing in your presence."

She rolled her eyes at the royal effect he tried to put on and how slowly he spoke. To her, he seemed to act as though he was the kingliest of kings who ruled anywhere. She definitely refused to consider him on such a high standing. However, she shook his hand while wearing another smirk. "The pleasure is all mine, Xemnas."

"Do you know your true name?" he abruptly asked, as though testing her.

Great, not even ten minutes into entering this place, and he posed a difficult question. Then again, it surely wasn't that hard, the woman assumed. She strained her brain to idealize her name, finding that she could not come up with it. She felt like an idiot for not knowing it! Abased, she sighed resignedly and eventually surrendered after a few minutes of pondering. Did these people steal her real name, too?

"I can't think of it, sir," she muttered grudgingly, staring at him very stonily. This Superior had just ruined her pride in a matter of seconds. He smirked at her, which impelled her to reflect if ignorance was bliss in her case. After all, her answer seemed acceptable to him. Unless he came up with some sort of trick to utilize against her...

"Then I shall name you," he declared, "....Larxene."

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**A/N: Dundundun! So, Lenera as you knew her is no more. Larxene has taken her place. This was just a filler chapter, but I will come up with a better next chapter. I even finished this one all in one day just for you guys.**

**Reviews would make me very happy, so please send them. It's only a click away! XD**


	16. First Glance

**A/N: Sorry that these chapters seems shorter lately, guys--or at least, my definition of short. XD It's not that I have writer's block really bad, it's just that...actually, I don't know. Go figure. But, anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter nonetheless.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KH...or Organization XIII, but if I did... XD Well, I don't.**

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**Chapter 16: First Glance**

To formally introduce Larxene to the entire castle, Xemnas lead her on a tour about the place, to get her familiar with her surroundings. She had no idea why he would do this, considering the whole castle consisted of corridors for the most part. The only rooms there were the training room and kitchen; frankly, nothing else stood out to her. At one point, the Superior even showed her a certain garden that one of the members kept. She couldn't recall the name, apart from the fact it might have been Marluxia or some girly name like that. Honestly, she doubted she would like that guy due to their conflicting interests. For, upon seeing all these flowers in their natural beauty, she sensed a strong urge to kill them. Another part deeply implanted within her soul (or perhaps lack of one) held something completely different. She merely assumed that that was just an annoying fuzziness that bothered her. Why would this place seem so familiar to her? After all, she hadn't even thought of setting foot in the entire headquarters until today.

Before Xemnas prepared to whisk her away to another portion of the castle, one particular type of flower caught her interest. Blush pink roses thrived on several bushes overlooking a stone fountain of Greek gods and goddesses in the middle of the area. They bloomed so prettily, she wondered what this gardener Nobody's secret was to floral success. The white rose bushes in the corner of the garden area also intrigued her. A vague memory of a past life tried to push itself to the front of her mind, but was inevitably lost by Xemnas interrupting.

"I will lead you to your new room next," he announced in a bass that would have lulled her to sleep if he continued talking. The man struck her as boring, and holding elongated speeches was probably all he ever did anyway. Shrugging, Larxene formed a portal and followed him due to lack of anything else to do. Still, these flowers had seemed to implore her to know their names by heart...or maybe their owner's. She felt confused over the matter, though, and resolved to let it drop before it gave her a migraine. Once they arrived near her room, Xemnas opened the door slightly while exaggeratedly bowing. Rather insulted by this action, she arched an impetuous brow in response.

"Are you mocking me, Xemnas?" she asked, already pondering over the possibility over whether she should take out her kunai or not.

Rising to a normal standing position, he bestowed to her a supercilious, knowing smirk, matching her in condescendence. She thought that she would obtain a rival before realizing that Xemnas wasn't her equal. Unfortunately, compared to him, she appeared smaller and inferior; inwardly, she cursed his tall stature. No, she would have to find a rival equal to her, someone worth fighting against. Xaldin wouldn't do either since she classified him as being under the useless idiot category. And she hadn't formally met the rest of the members yet, so she hoped for someone intelligent. Starting fights with a smart person was always fun to her.

Finally, after a long silence on his part, Xemnas replied honestly, "In a sense, yes, I am. But, it should be none of your concern, Number Twelve."

With a disdainful snort, Larxene crossed her arms while wearing an amused expression. "This seems to be my kind of place, where everyone is as sadistic as _moi_. I think I will fit in perfectly. Now, if you will so kindly excuse me..."

Saying this last sentence as sarcastically as ever, she walked regally into her new room, which had walls the color of electric yellow. A bed stood in one corner, and comfortable gray carpeting covered the entire floor. Apart from these things, not much else was stored in this room—that is, if a closet full of those same black robes counted. Once investigating through this closet, she snorted again before finally noting that she wore the same type of robe.

"I don't think black is my color," she drawled before retreating to the corridor.

A slate-gray haired teenager happened to stroll in the premises of her area at the moment, looking upon her with apathetic cerulean eyes.

"You are our newest member, correct?" he asked dully, flicking back one of his obstructing strands of hair.

She smirked. "Yes, I am. I'm Larxene, the Savage Nymph, and don't you forget it!"

"I will ensure not to. My name is Zexion, but you must address me as Number Six. You are my inferior, after all." He suppressed a bored yawn after this statement, though disregarded the sudden rage sparking in Larxene's teal eyes. She hated it when somebody looked down upon her like that, since she figured she was the one who should do that duty. Angrily, she roughly grabbed Zexion's shoulders to pin him against the wall. To her frustration, he hardly appeared frightened, only as annoyed as a careless person could be.

"Looks like you already forgot, you little twerp!" Larxene shouted, pounding her fist near the idiot's head. "My, do you have a short memory."

He retaliated coldly, "Last I checked, so do you. Just how ignorant are you?"

Her eyes widened out of confusion, giving him the chance to remove himself from her fierce grip and walk from whence he came. Out of seething wrath, she screamed out what sounded like a battle cry before chasing after Zexion to shock him with her thoroughly ionized kunai.

Unfortunately for her, he almost seemed to see that move before actually executed and blocked the attack with a rather large lexicon. It was practically as tall as he stood, and it caused Larxene to reel from its strike.

"Your anger will be the death of you one of these days if you neglect to control it," he murmured icily before continuing his retreat, though he did add over his shoulder, "Your type of rage is very immature, clearly, much rather like the tantrum of a four-year-old. Honestly, I have nothing else to advise apart from grow up."

Incensed, she neared stomping her foot on the ground only to realize that this minor action would back Zexion's theory. Instead, she took her fiery exasperation out on the walls, which she deliberately scratched with her knives on the way toward her room. She wanted nothing more than to damage something, for she knew that was the way she was now. Without a heart, therefore without true emotions, she could be aware of nothing less than destruction. Why not wreck objects (or very possibly people) before they ruined her any further? Just as she prepared to disappear into her room, she sensed a finger tapping her shoulder. She abruptly turned around to discover yet another Organization member, one with pink hair, sapphire eyes, and really feminine looking features. And yet, at the same time, he appeared masculine as well, so this mystery baffled her. Still rather irritated from her skirmish with Zexion, Larxene placed her hands sassily on her hips. She didn't know who this vaguely attractive man was, but she would have to end up giving him a piece of her mind.

"Ah," the man smirked upon seeing her expression of suppressed anger, "you must have been the one screaming like a banshee earlier. I could have sworn (actually, I should say I _knew_) that I could hear your carryings-on from my own quarters. Honestly, must you be so infuriated all the time? That, my dear, is not the way to make allies. Perhaps, though, I could take pity on you and befriend you?"

She was tempted to spit in his face. "You wish! I prefer to work alone, for your information. And another thing, what use could you serve to me?"

The man proceeded to breezily stroll around her as he wore his sneer proudly. "So you're selfish and only look to see what is in it for you. I cannot say I am surprised to discover this bit of information. You desire to come off as intimidating, so that no one _dares _to trifle you. In retrospect, however, everyone you will meet here will find you little more than a nuisance. By learning this, you will become even more sadistic and decide to turn your rage, your indescribable fury into something constructive such as playing with your victims. That is similar to a cat's tactics, I would assume. I think I have you all figured out, do I, my dear?"

He placed a finger under her chin, which he massaged gently and at the same time seductively. Larxene almost blushed upon feeling this, but quickly recognized the actions of a manipulator. She found the solution to this problem in the form of savagely biting his finger. His reaction came in the form of slight wincing as he removed it from her mouth while shaking it. It had actually hurt; he had to admit that to himself. Outwardly, he regained his smirk, his sapphire eyes glinting amusedly.

"No wonder they call you savage. I find the irony in that to be rather comical."

At last he stood in place to await her spoken reaction, which as he suspected, was not positive.

"You would, but seriously, can you leave me alone? Quit acting like you know me, because you don't! And I don't even want to get to know you, you condescending idiot! Why would you even do this to me? What are your motives? What the heck is your name?"

Shaking his head slightly, he softly pressed a finger to her lips. "All in good time, but for now, I leave you with this. My name is Marluxia."

He cryptically departed through a portal, but not before a single red rose fell out of it.

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**A/N: For some reason, I think I've managed to make Marluxia a rather sexy jerk in this chapter. XD And do I detect a certain flirting style? Hm, there's gonna be some more twists and turns along the way, I do believe.**

**Reviews are the food of life...at least in a fanfiction writer's life. And I'm EXTREMELY hungry...OK, not literally. XP But, you get the idea.**


	17. Piqued Interest

**A/N: As you can tell by the length of this chapter, things have finally gotten interesting again! Well, I hope you feel the same way about the plot being that as I do. On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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**Chapter 17: Piqued Interest**

With a sort of whimsical, tranquil smile on his face, Marluxia patted the dirt down that surrounded the orange speckled tiger lily he just planted. Nothing felt more relaxing, more fitting to the end of a day than plunging his hands into the earth. How convenient that the Organization uniform had gloves as one of the elements to it. It was almost as though he was created solely for this job here as well as this one in his thriving garden. Of course, since he mastered flora-related powers within the first two days of his arrival in the castle, having his garden succeed suited him. Within two weeks, the entire rose section bloomed as vividly as on a bright summer day. Thinking of these very much beloved roses, he vaguely contemplated if Larxene had kept the blood red one he offered her. If his insight abilities proved worthless, then he would have promptly assumed that she had electrocuted it to death.

On the contrary, Marluxia possessed an intelligence capacity that wasn't surpassed by any of the other members, save Zexion or Xemnas. So, with his thought processes, his conclusion consisted that no, Larxene had not discarded the rose carelessly. If anything, it probably rested within a china vase right now. But, he felt too languid at present to test this theory of his; besides, garden work seemed far more enjoyable than the option of getting beat down by a deceivingly petite blonde woman. His gaze proceeded to turn to the implanted tiger lily in all its glory. That single flower somewhat reminded him of the vicious nymph Larxene, what with her feline attitude. She would become wont to slaughtering people who dared to defy her, he darkly assumed. Yet, there was a certain beauty about her sadism that he found attractive. It was a danger he wanted to be caught in, a tangled web that could consist of both love and lust, if he put forth the effort.

While Marluxia mused on the complex intricacies that made up the blonde, Xemnas casually entered the garden, therefore interrupting his thoughts. Another mission would probably come his way, which somewhat annoyed him. Now that there was a new member inducted, he might end up with her as a... Oh, he mustn't by any means lewd on that! As much as he considered the vile temptress alluring, he certainly wasn't fond of her. Why would he when she behaved so nastily toward him with unladylike decorum? However, he suppressed these aggrieved thoughts with a confident smirk.

"What will be my mission today, Xemnas?" he inquired, though he knew for a fact it would probably be some off-handed reconnaissance mission, very unfavorable indeed. Recon did not thrill him unlike the smell of fear emitting off an innocent person before death set upon him. Yes, he enjoyed the sinful art of murder that the Organization occasionally carried out. Seeing the sheer terror in an enemy's eyes gave him a tingling sensation, like a feral beast might feel.

Of course, murder was likely not on the agenda for today, which disappointed the flower elemental. No matter, as long as he could bask in solitude in one world ravaged by Heartless, he would...

Xemnas interrupted his contemplating yet again, pacing around him in slow, meticulous manner. "I plan on sending you to Hollow Bastion today. It won't be any extravagant mission by any means. It's just a chance for you to see what you think of our new member...for she is to be partnered with you from here on out."

Marluxia inwardly cursed as a subtly displeased frown contorted his lips while he moved strands of his pink mane away from his face. This shouldn't have come to him as a huge surprise, though. Before Larxene, he had had to work solo due to the odd number of members. A vain hope within him had wished that the duo arrangements among them would be changed. Instead, he would have to contend with that impossible she-devil, who refused him no matter what seductive tricks he tried to pull. From the little knowledge he could gather concerning her, she only snapped at others who did not meet up to her standards. Meaning that, basically, she would always patronize someone who said one negative thing to her face about herself. She truly was selfish in every sense of the word.

A strained smile replaced his frown, though it felt like he had had to rearrange and distort his entire countenance in order to do so. "All right, I will ensure to inform Larxene of these circumstances. Do we depart immediately after I tell her?"

Xemnas waved one of his hands nonchalantly, conveying to Marluxia that he could really care less. "As long as the mission is finished, I won't even bother to care. You surely know who I am by now, Number Eleven."

The pink haired man made a sweeping bow, which almost seemed to mock the Superior's high standing. "Of course, Xemnas. Who doesn't know you in this elite Organization of ours?"

Calmly, the leader smirked, proud of his inferior for saying such an accurate comment as he teleported out of the garden. In the mean time, Marluxia reluctantly left the one place where he could be alone himself, heaving an irritated sigh on his way. Why did he have to be the one to babysit that irksome witch? Shouldn't she look after herself? She even said that she would rather work alone. And now, he must break the news to her that Xemnas practically made their partnership an official decree. He could already imagine the volts that would shock him down his spine as well as objects being angrily flung at him and screaming shouts threatening to render him deaf. At that moment, Marluxia seriously doubted Xemnas' capabilities as leader, more so than usual. Perhaps, one day, he would launch some sort of anarchy revolution that could alter his currently pitiful circumstances forever. Or at least he could overthrow...

Now, _that _was certainly an interesting idea.

Of course, he lacked the time right now to develop this thought any further as he knocked on Larxene's door, prepared for the worst.

"What the heck do you want? I'm not in the mood to talk to anybody right now, and if you would go away, I'd really appreciate it!"

Shaking his head condescendingly, Marluxia leaned against the door. "When will you be in the right spirits then? I cannot wait forever....but, if that's what it takes, I will stand here all day. I suggest you open the door before I resort to drastic measures."

The female voice on the other side challenged him. "Oh, yeah? What sort of drastic measures, Pinky?"

How he detested that vile woman! He could crumple her in his hands like a dying flower if he simply ignored the Superior for one blasted minute. Unfortunately, he knew that would land him in uncomfortably, metaphorically hot water. The only nonviolent option that remained was to show her what extent his "measures" were. He decided to inconsiderately teleport into her room, disregarding the curse words that streamed out of her filthy mouth upon the portal's formation. Casually, he noted that Larxene's hands had become clenched fists resting on her hips as she shouted these words. Again, he shook his head, pretending to pick at his gloved fingernails out of boredom.

"You curse like a man. You do know that, right?" he asked, glancing toward her emotionlessly. "And you carry yourself like a man, become prone to violence like a man—I am assuming you are aware what my point is here."

To his secret delight, his miniature lecture on her demeanor infuriated her, the electricity coursing through her body. He could even see tiny lightning strikes surrounding her. If he hadn't possessed the disdain for her, he would have thought her rage adorable. But, of course, she had to give him the wrong impression, as only angry individuals such as herself would emit.

Viciously, she shouted, "Well, if I hadn't known any better, you're a woman! Perhaps we should trade places."

Oh, she knew just how to get on a person's bad side, didn't she? In two fluid movements, he successfully pinned her by the shoulders to the wall.

"I see you would address that false accusation in my presence," he practically growled at her, "but now is neither the time nor the place for full-out combat. No, in fact, Xemnas assigned us a mission at Hollow Bastion. You are to be my partner, and you are to behave yourself around me. Is that understood?"

Larxene scoffed, a smirk coming to her lips. "Who died and made you the boss of me? And doesn't a partnership mean equality? So, that would technically mean you have no free rein over me, despite your stupidly unnecessary ranking system."

Blast, she had him there on that point in their debate! Closing his eyes to attempt clearing his mind, Marluxia breathed out his longest exhale yet. And he found himself saying the inevitably pathetic two words that conceded that he had run out of things to say.

"Shut up."

Laughing that annoying (and yet somewhat cute) giggle of hers, she dragged him by the ear to the portal she just created. Once she grabbed his ear, he knew that he had totally lost his dignity, which therefore ruined his honorable pride.

The reconnaissance mission went agonizingly slow, for it was typically a kind of mission reserved for lower ranked members. Not only that, it was mere patrol of one area, ensuring that the Heartless count proved satisfactory. To Marluxia, it seemed extremely demeaning, senseless, and similar to a classroom science project. To Larxene, it served as a chance to taunt the pink haired man some more without anybody's hindrance. As they roamed the small town and its outskirts, she often shocked him at moments when he was off-guard. The first twenty times, he selected to ignore the electricity torture, determined to not fall to what the witch wanted. And what the witch wanted was to observe him react in a negatively exasperated fashion. She longed to hear his shouting and his fired off complaints, for she loved bringing people down. Sadism was her one true love. Eventually, Marluxia did yell at her at the Crystal Fissure, his raised voice bouncing off the crystalline walls in a very audible echo.

"Why must you trifle with me like this?!?" he irritatingly shouted as he pounded his fist against one of the walls. "What in Kingdom Hearts' good name is wrong with you?!? I am not someone to be played with, you sadistic—!"

Larxene leaned against the sparkling crystals in their myriad of colors, stroking back loose strands of her blonde hair. "I think I've heard quite enough out of you, sissy."

With that truthful declaration, they each summoned their weapons simultaneously, as if they had read each other's thoughts. Marluxia brandished his rose bladed scythe at her, whereas she playfully flourished her kunai while wearing a sneer.

Her nose straight in the air, she gazed upon his weapon, a pathetic thing she ensured to display her lack of intimidation. As if something so pink and so garden-y would scare her off!

"Please, Flower Boy, a gardening tool isn't supposed to hurt people. Didn't your parents ever tell you that as a child? Oh, wait—as far as you know, _you have no parents_!"

He smirked, a familiar feeling that had been absent prior to this battle. "I doubt that will injure my heart too severely. But, I'm positive I don't have a heart. And neither do you, witch. That much is obvious."

With the careless banter out of the way, they fought heavily in that cramped space, damaging crystals just by mere strokes of their weapons. Eventually, they took their combat out to the maw, where they managed to cause injury to each other. The sadistic partners insisted on drawing blood, and they fabricated a rule that whoever lost the most blood was the defeated. Both weakened, however, they both crumpled to the ground at the same time. Desperate, they wrestled cruelly, punching and kicking in the process. They disregarded their pain just to shamelessly fight on the ground like this. If the Superior had come upon them, he would have seen a contemptible sight before his golden eyes. Too tired to even wrestle, Larxene proclaimed herself the winner as she wearily pinned Marluxia's arms to the ground. A tempting smirk on her face, she leaned toward his ear to whisper, "Guess I'm better than you. From now on in these pointless missions, let's mutually agree that I'm the stronger one."

Wincing in pain, Marluxia barely managed to flip her over, much to her surprise. Her widened teal eyes locked onto his scorching sapphires ones that bored into her soul...if she had one, that is.

Placing the blade of his scythe to her throat, he murmured lethally, "I could easily cut your throat right now with one slash. One. Measly. Slash. Now, will you just surrender already?"

Huffily, Larxene rose to her feet in a shaky, weakened manner. Refusing to allow her pride hurt too, she crossed her arms.

"OK, fine. This is a draw. No one wins. Happy?"

He admitted frankly, "No, I'm not. But, since you're so bloody determined to have things your way, then I guess that's the way it is."

"So, we're both happy," she managed to spit out, her saliva dripping onto the dirt below her booted feet.

"Yes, we are," Marluxia replied through gritted teeth and forced himself to shake hands with the woman he despised above all else.

Their mission accomplished (as they both agreed on), they returned to the castle to report to Xemnas. He acknowledged their finished duty with a mere nod, telling them to wander over to the dining room for dinner. The only things that the Organization did as a whole were meetings and eating their suppers. Nothing else really mattered to them apart from those two tasks. As Larxene and Marluxia grudgingly walked toward the area to nourish their hunger together (if together implied eight inches apart while walking), the former noticed a redheaded man.

His handsome appearance stunned her at once, scarlet spikes of hair contrasting perfectly with vivid emerald eyes. He strode past the two without a word of greeting, though he pulled off something impressive to the nymph. Glancing over a bony shoulder, he smirked roguishly at her, almost as though he wished to engage in flirting. Larxene preferred to pride herself on her flirting techniques, so this venture intrigued her. That man intrigued her, and she wanted to get to know him. But, oh, what was his name?

"What is the name of that attractive guy that passed us?" she asked to Marluxia, who barely visibly frowned. So much for his theory on her keeping one of his precious roses.

"Axel."

"Axel," she repeated, giggling shrilly from how the name formed on her tingling lips. "Oh, how I _love_ that name!"

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**A/N: Uh-oh, Marly's got some competition! XD For some reason, this is my favorite love triangle. It's very captivaitng in a way. I just think that would make a very interesting story. So, I added it for a bit of spice! And, to explain why the description at the beginning of the chapter was so dark, it was because I see Organization XIII as practically vampires. Let's see, they were created after their Somebodies died, they're sadistic, and they're vaguely lustful... Yep, vampires! Not really, but oh well.**

**Crap, I am rambling. So remember to review. I don't really wanna nag anybody on the subject, so I'll drop it.**


	18. Pursuits

**A/N: All right, here we go. Chapter eighteen--woot, this story is epic! I can't believe how long this is. I originially didn't plan it to be that way, but oh well. Let's see if Larxene gets anywhere with her new "love" interest...shall we? XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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**Chapter 18: Pursuits**

Over the next few days, Larxene would see captivating Axel stride confidently in the corridors of headquarters, his jade eyes lingering on her teal ones slightly too long. And yet he refused to approach her. It was almost as though he would let her do the chasing. Of course, Larxene was more than willing to oblige to this silent acknowledgement. Predatory skills, even those required in love, served as her strong suit. She could lure any man to become attracted to her if she herself wanted it to occur. In the case of Marluxia...now, why would she even bother to memorize his name? Apart from their mission partnership, she could care less about the man, much less like. Practically the opposite had come about for the both of them. Ever since their first mission ended, he offered nothing but sharp-tongued insults and petty smirks. Perhaps he harbored jealousy toward Axel—the very thought made her laugh condescendingly.

After the pink haired man's relentless behavior toward her, she seriously doubted she wished to have anything to do with him. And she didn't. No, she plastered her gaze to one male and one alone who occupied her thoughts. During Organization meetings that lasted for seemingly endless hours, Larxene would fantasize about the redhead, wonder what his personality consisted. He resembled a trickster, though she figured she would like what he had up his sleeve. Also, according to her sidelong glances during mealtimes, he possessed a fine sense of humor due to the constant jokes that he uttered. His wit impressed her greatly, for what came out of his mouth was mostly sarcastic, the type of dark humor she discovered that she adored.

Darkness intrigued her, thus why she preferred to act on her sadistic instincts by shocking the other members while walking down the hallways. Seeing the pained contortions on their faces gave her a thrill like no other, almost masochistic in its form. What she said in conversations or meetings purposefully produced shock value. To think, not even the vilest organization in the universe could scarcely idealize the words that she "demurely" murmured. Her suggestions usually consisted of turning the whole world into Nobodies like themselves, so that no one could stop them. They would be an indomitable race of sorts, hardly any real humans left in existence. The others would scoff at her, call it totalitarianism while insisting they would never dare to go that far. All they wanted was their measly little hearts back.

OK, she could understand that without any complications. But, what she craved above all else was power—power to conquer enemies that stood in her way, power to buy everything and anything throughout the many worlds, and the power to persuade an entire army against their plans to their knees. She desired some sway over the opposite gender as well. Luring men would be so easy, especially ones with hearts, considering the ones without were...well...unpleasing for the most part. Until that glorious day would arrive in which she plotted to gain supremacy, though, she would have to wait it out in this boring old castle. Aside from missions and meetings (basically Organization-related activities), boredom generally held reign here. To pass the time, Larxene often ventured to the library for reading material, the dark, disturbing kind. One author she particularly fancied was a French novelist by the name of Marquis de Sade. Ah, yes, the one who spurred people to coin the term "sadism" in honor (to her, though to most dishonor) of his delightful works!

Often wont to quickly fall into obsession, she read these books avidly, the erotica of the material sending exhilarated tingles down her spine. She felt as though she could relate to the Marquis in the sense that their beliefs were strikingly similar. He wrote of power, vigorous individualism, and unspeakable things that would normally cause the less squeamish people to cringe. However, while casually talking to Marluxia, though he would hardly ever listen, she called de Sade's books "teachings." The pink-haired man rolled his eyes disdainfully at her once during one of her full-scale ravings on her current read.

He smoothly interrupted her, "I understand that this writer practically invented sadism. This comes as no shock to me that you would be someone who is so willing to read such garbage."

Her mouth nearly fell open, her hand instinctively curling into a fist. "You wouldn't understand literary genius, Marluxia! You waste too much time with your stupid plants. Surely, you must get bored."

"No, not at all. If anything, gardening provides me with some sense of humanism." That same mysterious smile appeared, which inevitably aggravated her to the point of refusing to speak to him for the remainder of that day.

As for the vividly red rose that he had bestowed to her on her first day in the Organization, Larxene surprisingly kept it in a vase. She found herself tending it as though it held some sort of value to her. But, having the rose in her possession confused her. Why would she bother taking care of it when the giver often said cold things to her? Hopefully, it would die within a few more days, and she would forget both the gift and him. Besides, Axel still served as her key interest, and she would pursue him despite the immense effort it required. Soon, her wishes came to pass during a library visit one day. She rapidly skimmed through the titles imprinted on the spines of the books, unsure of what to read next. Eventually, she opted to re-read another work of Marquis de Sade's with which to amuse. After all, nothing brought her greater joy than perusing certain pleasures entailed in these novels. Just as she dragged it out of the shelf, though, she heard the whooshing sound of a portal forming. She cautiously craned her neck around the shelf to investigate who entered. Locks of apple colored hair instantly provided her with the answer she needed. Smirking impishly, Larxene sauntered her way out of the aisle, book in hand. She wanted to let Axel know of her intelligence that usually paled in the others' comparison to her fighting skills.

"Hello, Axel," she drawled, perching herself on one of the white marble tables, "I didn't know you enjoyed reading."

He returned the sneer. "I don't...at least most of the time. Actually, I came here, hoping you would be snooping around."

A shrieking giggle emerged from the very depths of her chest, coldly resonating throughout the mostly deserted library. She predicted that he would say something to that effect, her long desired want coming true at last. Maybe he would flirt with her as she would presently. Twirling a tress of her electric blonde hair seductively, she murmured, "I doubt you on that point, wielder of the dancing flames. Clearly, you're only saying that to lure me under your sublime spell. Most other men here would neglect to even compliment me."

Walking nearer to her, Axel replied, "Well, I'm thinking that you deserve a compliment every once in a while."

The two young people silenced themselves to allow their vivacious banter to sink in, to stare at each other's appearances. Teal eyes practically melded with emerald green ones, the scorching stare enough to burn them both. Even if spontaneous combustion existed, they would disregard the flames that would metaphorically devour them. Nothing mattered at this moment apart from the luscious decadence that attracted them to each other, the warm desire enriching their thoughts despite lack of hearts. Larxene discovered that warmth distributing itself to her face, her cheeks heating from Axel's powerful stare.

Her eyes dilating very slightly, she fingered her face and suspected that a vaguely rose blush spread over it. Disbelieving this new sensation, she inadvertently laughed it off due to her undoubted folly. Why would she blush when she was the least human out of all the members, as she rightfully bragged to the few who would listen? Perhaps the burning of lust reached her body. That had to be it, for she considered themselves similar to vampires. These creatures surely felt only what little remained of their emotions, though lust was definitely one of the few things they held dearly to them. If so, she would fancy herself a divine vampiress who could "lovingly" induce her male counterparts to feel a vague emotion for her. A stone goddess who adored pain as much as delight, she could very well visualize that. Of course, reading her dark material lately impelled her just as dark imagination to that level. Now, that made perfect sense. Though, for some reason unknown to her, her smirk faltered when Axel stood only inches apart from her.

It seemed like slow motion as he gently cupped her chin in his gloved hand, which blazed hotly from the suppressed fire he maintained inside him. She parted her lips slightly, firmly closing them again. Truthfully, she wasn't so sure if she willed him to gain this much proximity to her. Vulnerability served as weakness to her, and she despised it above all else. She sensed that she silently opened up to him using merely her eyes. She had originally set out to do flirting, but revealing another side to her? No one was supposed to obtain the knowledge regarding her except herself. How did she let Axel, a man she barely knew, intrude upon her inward privacy like that? Then again, he unveiled something in his gaze too, something that she could barely grasp much less identify. All she gathered from the depths of his emerald orbs was that they softened. Instead of the usual joking glint, a decisive glow of seriousness resided there in those captivating eyes.

He suddenly whispered in a low tone, "You're not what you seem to be, are you?"

Larxene cursed violently within her mind, enraged that he should be the one to discover this. As previously thought, she could not allow anyone to get that accurate a glimpse into her soul. She sighed huffily and crushed the moment by turning away from him. To think, she assumed Axel possessed an ignorant mind despite the sharp wit. This abrupt revelation that stated that this was not the case thoroughly shocked her. Ironic, considering she figured herself to be the only one to do the shocking in this place.

"Could you care to enlighten me on how you managed to find _that _tidbit out, Axel?!?" she asked testily, near an infuriated shout at that.

Mutely, he stepped closer to her, for she had eluded him a few inches due to his rhetorically posed question. He rubbed her shoulders, which seemed to melt into his fiery grasp. The massage alleviated her of her ills, though she still wanted to play hard to get. She slapped those hands away, but he was quick to retaliate by locking her into an embrace. No matter how much she struggled, she could not break free of his hold. And she despised it, this weakness along with the literal trap in which she had caught. Enraged tears stung her eyes right then and there as she glared up at the man she wanted. Why long for someone who could see through you like transparent glass?

Gradually, as soon as Axel stubbornly made apparent that he refused to release her, she reluctantly yielded. The blush reared its ugly color meanwhile, splotching her face that she ensured to beautify each day. Stupid flame wielder managed to win, didn't he? In this psychological battle, it was safe to say that she had ruefully lost. As he cupped her chin in his hand again, she heaved a bitter exhale that accompanied more angry tears.

In the deadliest tone she could use, she muttered, "I hate you."

To her surprise, he chuckled as though she had told a joke instead of hissing this spiteful declaration. "You say that to everybody. Besides, you've been interested in me for a long time, haven't you?"

"How—?"

"It's surprising how fast the rumor mill goes around here. I do believe it was that blabbermouth Demyx who told me the news. And, I gotta admit, I'm flattered, my little lightning bolt."

She let out a sigh tinged with surrender this time as she bowed her head. Losing was the last thing she wished for, but realized that it had come to pass. And why must he use such an irritating nickname for her?

Then again, it was better than half the names Marluxia called her. At least Axel didn't dub her a "witch" or a "heartless hag."

The redhead proceeded to massage her shoulders, letting his hands travel up and down her spine. She shuddered despite a direct order inside that told otherwise. Once her eyes drifted up to his again, a pair of passionate lips captured hers in a kiss that she never experienced before. Strands of his hair brushed her face, tickling her extremely warm cheeks. Yielding longingly, Larxene wrapped her arms around him as she kissed back. This sensation could not be stopped, this sudden emotion spreading throughout her entire being.

Maybe Axel had been the one to lure her after all.

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**A/N: Larxel fans, you probably LOVED this. Marlene fans...don't freak out. Whatever you do, DO NOT PANIC! XD That's all I have to say about that. Also, about Marquis de Sade...you guys probably know Larxene read a book of his in the manga, right? Well, apparently, the word sadism is named for him. I wouldn't reccomend Wiki'ing the guy, because he was sick. In fact, he wrote stuff that would definitely be under the "unspeakable things" category.**

**Ah, but you'll probably look him up anyway. But, yeah, if you do that, you'll realize how symbolic Larxene reading his books was. It explains many things. XP Anyway, I know this chapter was pretty long, but I just got inspired to write this long. And I can't believe how sexy I made this out to be. It wasn't gross, though, was it?**

**Tell me what you think.**


	19. Dating, Nobody Style

**A/N: OK, this chapter departs from the angsty, dramatic style this story is known for. I wanted it to be this way in this chapter, because I love humor. You guys love comedy, too? Well, this one's for you. It's long only because a lot of things happen--interesting things. XD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Kingdom of Hearts...not even the game.**

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**Chapter 19: Dating, Nobody Style**

Marluxia wandered about the library later that week, skimming books to read here and there though was really searching for Larxene. He considered over his behavior toward her, which he sensed strange regret over. After all, he insulted the she-devil all the time for simply being a thoughtless hag. Perhaps, though, he crossed the line. Maybe he should take a gentler approach when it came to her. He would probably get stepped on (both metaphorically and literally) by her if he displayed such benevolence. Then again, trying was all he could do at this point. Peering over the bookshelf, he only spotted Number Nine of the Organization, that hopeless klutz Demyx. Wait...what was Demyx doing in a library? Shouldn't he be playing some idiotic rock music at this hour? All right, Marluxia inwardly assured himself, since Larxene obviously left, just leave this room very, very slowly...

"Oh, hey, Marluxia! How are you?" Demyx greeted enthusiastically, feigning his delight at seeing the flower wielder by waving hello.

May Kingdom Hearts curse him!

Putting on the falsest front of cordiality possible, Marluxia murmured, "It is good to see you, Number Nine. I have done fairly well lately. But...have you happened to see Larxene around as of late. I would appreciate it if you provided me with her, ah, whereabouts."

Demyx snapped his fingers instantly, a definite good sign as to his knowledge on the subject. "Yeah, just saw her with Axel ten minutes ago, actually. And there was some serious tongue on tongue action going on with those two. Yep, they were definitely in the moment. I mean, they couldn't keep their hands off each other ei—whoa, man, what are you doing?!? Put me down!"

For, out of sudden, inconceivable rage that seized him, Marluxia had uncharacteristically lost his temper and hoisted Demyx by the hood of his cloak. He proceeded to pin the struggling blond to one of the bookshelves, nearly knocking it down in the process. He refused to hear these lies, these disgusting rumors that Axel, one of his main rivals, dared to approach Larxene. That wicked redhead would surely not get away with this, no, he would see to it. Punishment had to be induced in the near future. Gritting his teeth exasperatedly, he pushed his face dangerously close to Demyx's to cause scare value. The little weakling would surely cower in his regal presence.

"What do you mean by them kissing? Are they together? Answer me!"

To his own surprise, the Nocturne threw a killer punch that caused a sharp pain to tingle through his lips after this interrogation. And a trickle of crimson blood eased its way down his chin. Wiping the revolting mess off, Marluxia calmly glared at the twit standing before him, seething with suppressed rage.

He removed a piece of pink hair that had strayed into his eyes. "Demyx, I will not make this easy for you if you are so quick to violence. I am aware this is hypocritical for me to say, but I care not. We don't care about anything, as our Superior often says. Just cooperate with me, and I will leave you unscathed. Now, calmly tell me this. _Are Larxene and Axel courting each other?_"

Heaving an annoyed sigh, Demyx sulkily responded with, "Um, you mean dating? Then, yeah, they are. They sure got together fast. I mean, she's been flirting with him for a while, but I never thought it was serious. I guess when Larxene's after something, she usually has it with a vengeance."

"As I have noticed," Marluxia frostily remarked while snorting derisively upon the mere thought of Larxene with Axel. It just sickened him without rhyme or reason. Then again, they were both ugly individuals to him, sardonic ones who delighted in wreaking havoc. They deserved each other, as though the mysterious fate had destined their togetherness. Really, they could rot in the hereafter for all he cared.

In a lower, more lethal tone, he added, "They are both fools, and they both have dreadful tempers. This courtship will surely last no longer than a fortnight if that. Perhaps you should propose a bet, Demyx?"

The blond's eyes, the exact color of the sparkling sea on a sunny day, brightened. "That's an awesome idea. It could be like our office bet! Whoever wins receives a free door prize. Thanks, Marluxia, I'm off to find takers right now!"

As he rushed into his crafted portal excitedly, Marluxia said to himself condescendingly, "What a fool. Apparently, he has yet to learn the fine quality of sarcasm. Shockingly, he seems to be improving with his swift punches."

While wandering through the aisles of books, he contemplated to himself of a grand scheme that could possibly lure Larxene to him, as he had attempted to do on her first day. It might not lead her to breaking it off with Axel right away, but in the long run, it could some heavy damage to their so-called relationship. Besides, Marluxia thought smugly, two can play at that game. If she predatorily got what she hunted for, then he would, too. It was just that simple and just that delightful. After he picked out a random book called _The Art of Flirting_ (how convenient that the Organization possessed books not even thought of in the real world yet), he wandered over to his greenhouse. He read through chapter eleven before claiming himself as a full-fledged master of this material. So, he commenced assessing his various patches of flowers, considering which one would be the most ideal. Of course, perhaps he should stick to the classics...

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Make-up. She was actually going to wear make-up for the first time in all of her non-existence. However, she firmly drew the line at attiring herself in evening wear for the occasion. It was merely a date with an attractive guy, big deal! Still, how to go about this? Larxene meticulously studied the many cosmetic kits set out before her on her desk. Since the men of the Organization would refuse to wear such a feminine article (though she pondered over Marluxia), she had had to steal these kits, mainly from Hollow Bastion. The security guards had chased after her before she "mysteriously" disappeared, she recalled with a slight giggle. So many colors, though, and so many types! If she selected the wrong ones for her face, she would inadvertently provide Axel with his next series of jokes. Why would she date a comedian? Then again, the way he said his material so quickly and sarcastically was almost seductive. She couldn't have turned that type of man down any day of the week. His shockingly red hair and green eyes suited him too, and the markings on his face resembled a court jester's tattoos.

Very carefully, Larxene settled on mascara, powder blue eyeshadow, and peach lipstick by dragging these items from her desk. She hoped that they would be suitable enough for her date. He had promised her a surprise, and the last thing she wanted in the world was to give him an ugly one in return. Walking as though she stepped around shards of broken glass, she eventually entered her bathroom to apply the make-up. She swore that she heard the music of doom playing at a loud volume in her ears. Ugh, make it stop! Displaying irritation during a date was not a way to show the finest decorum on her part. And for once, she longed to prove Marluxia wrong when it came to his false accusation of her acting like a man.

But, wait, what did _he _have to do with any of this? He was an arrogant idiot, she knew it, and...stunning sapphire eyes always flashing with some sort of anger. Velvety pink hair that she so desired to touch. Don't get her started on that voice...

She had to focus on Axel currently and not on that flower-obsessed whackjob! But, what a hot crazy person at that... Cursing violently under her breath, Larxene prepared to put on her eyeshadow. Nothing mattered right now except this date and for her to have a good time on it. Just because her often aggravating, literal partner in crime appealed to her did not mean she should feel any remote attraction for him. There, how was that for convincing herself? Her resolve at its firmest, she placed her cosmetics delicately, ensuring that they didn't stand out garishly on her face. Once that she finished this task, she teleported to the corridor, at the exact spot where Axel's bedroom door faced her. Becoming antsy and worrying over if he managed to forget about her, she unconsciously rubbed one of her booted feet against her opposite leg. The downside of dates was the very beginnings of them, usually the most suspenseful part. Would it turn out that he lead her on or not? Would he fabricate some lame excuse, so that he could just weasel his way out of a potentially engaging evening? The possibilities as to what could go wrong were endless. Larxene proceeded to wonder why mere mortals took delight in such wasteful activities that could result in broken hearts. Maybe they possessed masochistic qualities to them like she did. She didn't know; she never met a non-Nobody before, after all.

Eventually, Axel opened the door, as though he read her quickly impatient mind. He casually leaned against the doorway, a smirk at the ready playing on his lips. She simply adored him when he was this way, all mysterious and sardonic.

"About time!" she huffed, pretending that she "felt" unhappy to see him. "I thought you'd forgotten about me already."

He mocked surprise by cocking an eyebrow. "Really? It's been a week since we hooked up in the library. I would never forget a steaming temptress like you."

Playfully, he cradled her chin in his gloved hand, causing her to giggle immaturely, rather like that of a young schoolgirl. She didn't care about that; being with him made her feel that way, closer to becoming human. The two of them departed...just after Axel told her to close her eyes. Normally, she detested surprises, but, knowing this devilishly handsome Nobody, she supposed he would give her something she would like. The past few days with him served as the best ones of her non-existent life, she was pretty sure. The laughs shared, wits matched, and everything in between seemed like heaven indeed.

Together, they were unstoppable. They could take on this entire puny world and succeed. She could leap over mountains for him, chase storm clouds away for him. Of course, Larxene could easily do that for herself too, she felt so unconquerable. Walking down corridors hand in hand to prove their courtship made it sweeter for them both. And that clueless cad Marluxia still hadn't a clue as to them dating. Or was he just hiding in the shadows, waiting to ruin their evening...? Oh, he wouldn't dare. He knew full well what could happen to him if she had the slightest whim of being angry. Her rage could demolish him with just a few swipes of her kunai. Right? Oh, what did it matter anyway? Axel would show her the positively glorious gift that she awaited, which would result in a date that most would envy. Again, Marluxia was absolutely in no way part of the equation.

"Open your eyes, Larxene," she could hear Axel murmur in her ear, a playful as always tone accompanying it.

Slowly, anticipating the moment of truth, Larxene promptly followed his directions. Before her lay an immaculate table filled with covered plates of food as well as unlit candles in silver candelabras. A crimson tablecloth, fit for royalty, draped over the whole wooden table. Shocked, she couldn't help but hold a hand to her mouth. As cordially as possible, her date lead her to an exquisitely carved chair made of the finest, darkest ebony wood. He pulled it out for her, dutifully following proper dinner decorum exactly. Who knew he had it in him?

"Sit while I light the candles." He grinned upon saying this as did she. Wow, his mannerisms of impressing a lady certainly did go far. Perhaps stupid Marl—not part of her thoughts! An amazing time would be had, a feast to be eaten. As they say, three is always a crowd...no matter what. Out of awe, Larxene observed Axel light the wicks of the cream colored candles with a simple flick of his wrist. He could do anything in her eyes, even accomplish as trifle a task as this one. Soon, the scent of vanilla from the candles permeated the air, strengthening the romantic mood settled upon the two of them. Nothing could mar this night now. Sitting across from her while gazing at her fondly, he flashed yet another pearly white grin at her. His charms knew no limit. He uncovered one of the plates to reveal a dish of...creamy chicken parmesan. Mm, her favorite dish! Well, that explained why he asked her that question a couple of nights ago. To think, she hadn't caught on at the time. Love could fuddle one's mind.

Companionably, the beguiling couple conversed over their shared meal, enjoying the shared time together. With missions and duties about lousy headquarters, there was hardly any time for dates. So, Larxene chose to bask in the moment as she lauded over food after food. After Axel unveiled an entrée of leafy green salad (he selected it for her, not so much for him), she asked him if he cooked the dishes himself.

He chuckled upon hearing this inquiry. "Definitely not—I'm a terrible cook, are you kidding? No, I actually had Demyx cook it. Very loyal guy, that one...even if he is kind of stupid."

She laughed too shrilly, she assumed. That didn't matter. The night so far had been absolute bliss. She only wished this happened every night, the intriguing conversation, the sublime food, and even the beverage of the finest red wine imaginable. Axel really had pulled off all the stops. For the final dessert portion of the meal, he uncovered the best plate of all: chocolate cake with oozing caramel icing on the top, gradually going down the cake in slivers. Larxene's mouth watered upon seeing such a cake that it reminded her... Her head hurt all of a sudden. Something...some bakery in a far off town that had eternal sunset. An unbelievably fuzzy image appeared in the peripherals in her mind...a teenage boy with black hair...wait, don't go! To her crushing disappointment, the vision vanished before her teal eyes. A vague sadness washed over her before turning into difference. A cake could trigger something like that? Weird!

Just as she neared her fork toward the delicious looking dessert, a shout that echoed throughout the outdoor area came with an abrupt thump.

"Who the heck could that be?" Axel asked moodily, his green eyes narrowing.

Xigbar, Number Two of the Organization, stumbled clumsily out of a bush while holding his hand to his head.

"It's just me, kiddies! Chill out. But, man, do I have a killer headache now. Um, I think I'm found out, Marly!"

Volts of electricity greedily coursed throughout Larxene's lithe form. "Marluxia? Are you saying _he _put you up to this?!?"

"Duh, you lovebirds," the adolescent-like older man rolled his eyes.

True to Xigbar's statement, Marluxia placidly stepped out of the doorway, focusing his disdainful glare at his accomplice. However, a certain twinkle in his sapphire eyes prevailed so strongly that Larxene knew he was up to something. Why did he always interfere with his elaborate schemes? She could murder him for this!

"I suppose you won't be getting your thousand munny in advance or at all, Xigbar," the pink haired man addressed coldly...yet looked prepared to laugh. What was up with him? The elder merely shrugged though smirked.

"They didn't even kiss, man. I think they were about to, had I not fallen down just in the nick of time!"

"That was your own fault."

Axel's jaw dropped from confusion, but he readied himself for pounding Marluxia to the ground. The miscreant himself, though, opted to beamingly approach Larxene with a marvelous bouquet consisting of—of course—red roses.

"For you, _ma cherie_," he murmured charmingly as he gently shoved the roses into her arms. Upon the bestowal, he mysteriously teleported away, much to Larxene's combined anger and sheer awe. How brilliant the way in which he could affect her evening. Still, she wanted to electrocute him with deadly six million watts. He might as well have kissed her fully on the lips, he affected her so badly. Axel decided to tap her on her shoulder just then as she struggled to regain her focus on both the date and her opinions regarding Marluxia.

"I could take him on for you, you know," the redhead suggested. "He did interrupt our date, after all."

An eerie smile tugged at Larxene's lips at that moment, pulling the bouquet slightly closer to her chest. "No, I don't think he deserves it..."

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**A/N: Haha, looks like Marly and Axel are tied up in the love game! Who will win? Wait, you probably have the right idea. Then, never mind! XD I hoped you enjoyed reading this "observation" of how Nobodies court each other in the animal kingdom. This has been an epicly long chapter, but it didn't come without foreshadowing. Hahahaha! **


	20. Requiem of a Past Life

**A/N: Hi, guys! This chapter is going to be pretty epic too--and this time, I mean epic in a plot-changing sense. XD It is long too, though not as long as last chapter. So bear with me. OK, here is Chapter 20, yay!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything off the game.**

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**Chapter 20: Requiem of a Past Life**

Chuckling under his breath, Marluxia returned to his room, fully satisfied with his masterful plan playing out impeccably. Who could have possibly predicted that Larxene would take receiving a bouquet from him, her _rival_, so well? He enjoyed the perfect O rounding out her puckered lips, obviously a reaction that told of her confusion. Then again, something in her teal eyes sparkled, a hidden false emotion that she refused to reveal. How enticing this all was! He would win her high approval soon, if he kept up his charm. To him, this was no longer a game...at least as far as his interest was concerned. The competition...now, that would hold some twists and turns. He always ensured to prepare for such incidents, he thought superciliously as he toyed with one of the roses that he chose to bring with him. For the first time, he managed to breed a totally new type of rose, which had the color of the darkest shadow. He invented black roses, much to his delight. If Larxene liked his bouquet, then she would surely like...

An abrupt knocking filled with an irritated urgency interrupted his thoughtful musings. Shaking his head, he resigned to answer this interference, somewhat annoyed at the intrusion. To hardly any of his surprise, he noticed the fiery redhead Axel fuming in the doorway. What on earth was that man's prob—oh yes. How could he forget? He intervened with that laughable excuse for a date, did he not? Clearly, it seemed that Axel already took the desperate approach to impress Larxene, who definitely could intimidate someone who acted so tough yet could barely fight..., in Marluxia's opinion at least. Instead of showing his exploitable anger by yelling, Axel settled on smirking lightly. No way was he going to lose to the gardener this early. If he allowed his temper to get the better of him, his blonde girlfriend would dump him in mere seconds. Besides, he wished for his own little plot to succeed...well, it just had something to do with being with that girl.

"So, Marluxia, I see you haven't given up on Larxene yet. It's a little desperate on your part at this point, don't you think?"

"If I'm so desperate, Axel," Marluxia countered airily as he sauntered his way out of his room and out into the hallway, "then does that make you absolutely certain that you hold Larxene's highest affections? Because if it does, you wouldn't be out here talking to me right now, would you?"

The smirk that the redhead wore now appeared rather strained due to the rage that threatened to expose itself. He hated losing, especially since this involved Larxene, the one woman who at least vaguely captivated him. Who was Marluxia to put him in his place? After all, it wasn't as though the scythe wielder had ever captured her in his arms—he, the jokester, won that battle. Maybe she would stay with him until they received their hearts, and afterwards, they would properly fall in love. As for Pinky...he just as soon would eliminate him, keep him from getting his heart. In Axel's opinion, Number Eleven didn't deserve it, much less the girl. He liked her all right, possibly loved her for all of her faults...like snorting when she laughed in that shriek that bats could hear. That annoyed the heck out of him. And how about the way she casually burped as loud as she could just to say she bested him at that? So irritating...still, Axel had to give her credit for her undeniable beauty. He sort of cared about her too, or else he wouldn't have kissed her that one day in the library. Sort of yet not really—he barely had a clue at this point. Obviously, Marluxia was purposely trying to pinpoint his true motives here.

In fact, the pink haired man seemed to read his mind, a content smirk pulling at his lips. This was totally amusing to him. He would soon reveal the real Axel, the devious fire elemental who would abuse Larxene's so-called love for him.

Marluxia murmured, ever so casually and softly, "You really haven't a clue, do you? You're just in this relationship until it bores you. As soon as that happens, you inconceivably lying cad, you will break her. And you will feel oh-so-powerful then, won't you? You will undoubtedly ruin the will and the spirit of one of the most beautiful women you and I have had the good fortune to know!"

At this point, he raised his voice, wondering why he suddenly sensed such fury toward Axel. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he had jumped to conclusions too quickly. But, one thing was for certain. Axel did not plan on staying in his relationship for the long run. Really, he acted like a playboy due to his wastrel ideas of attempting to win a woman's love. This thought gave him the urge to vomit at the moment, hardly believing that such a selfish person would do something like this. Most of all, he wanted so desperately to beat Axel to a pulp.

Meantime, his rival could suppress his anger no further and pinned Marluxia to a wall, the raging sweat streaming down his forehead. The temperature in this hallway was about to heat up, he vowed to himself. This disgusting gardener would regret messing with him.

"Shut up! Do you think you know everything there is to know about me? Well, you're wrong! I have so many tricks up my sleeve, so many secrets hidden, that there's no way in our entire non-existence that you would ever figure them out. You think you're so smart?!? Wait until you see me one up you in battle. Would you like that? I could do it, too. As for Larxene...she does mean something to me, believe it or not."

Marluxia sorrowfully shook his head, the false sadness itself being directed toward the woman he so adored. "You say that now, but that is before you will hurt her. I am very well aware that you are capable of bringing physical pain, Axel. But, I suppose toying with a woman's affections is also what you can do." Suddenly, his eyebrows furrowed until they seemed to nearly meet his vividly blue eyes that scorched from the heat of his exasperation. "I won't let you hurt her! If it's one thing I absolutely cannot tolerate in the world, it would be the thoughtless idiots like you who exist simply to mistreat others."

Spurred on by his own words, he grabbed Axel's shoulders tightly as he managed to hurl him against the opposite wall. Dusting off his gloved hands, he did nothing but glare at his distasteful enemy. He could go to the lake of fire and burn for all eternity as far as he was concerned. He had never experienced this much resentful anger prior to this.

However, instead of striking back, Axel had the very nerve to look at him sneeringly. "You're starting to get a little hypocritical, Marluxia. After all, you were the one that insulted Larxene on her first week here. You have a really sharp tongue. And now you're 'defending' her? How stupid are you? You would be the last person she would ever want to defend her, much less have as a boyfriend. I suppose you're trying to do the whole noble act until she happens to be around. Yeah, that'll get you to her, won't it? Ah, you really are just a dirty, rotten scoundrel who only wants to get inside her p—"

"No, that would be you, Number Eight," Marluxia cuttingly interrupted, firmly folding his arms across his chest. "True, I may have insulted her, but that was only because she approached me that way. Now that I have gotten to know her somewhat better, I find her tolerable enough. However, seeing that look on her face tonight told me something completely different. She has concealed adoration for me. And...I think it may very well be that way for me too, when it comes to her. If you were wise, and I think you do possess half a brain, you would back off while my offer stands. If you don't—well—I just might have the strongest urge to fight you."

The redhead sighed heavily while staring at Marluxia with the closest loathing gaze he ever mustered. Why must this guy consider himself the smartest of Organization XIII? He wasn't that intelligent. After all, he, Axel, had the sharpest cunning anyone would discover. In a complete state of seriousness, though—the anger totally vanished from his features—he muttered submissively, "All right, I swear right now that I won't hurt her...not in a few days, not in a few weeks, and not in a few months. I'm not the type of guy you think I am, Marluxia. I honor my word, and I'll make sure Larxene is happy. But, then again, we don't have hearts. So, I'm guessing if in the slightest chance that I _do _happen to 'break her heart' as you're suggesting, she won't be that much the worse for wear. She'll bounce back in a few days. To think, you're the guy who knows more than anybody that we have no real emotions, yet you preach all this crap to me. I'm nothing like you say, you self-absorbed idiot."

As Axel stalked off to his own devices, Marluxia whispered gently under his own breath, "Do you honestly think I would take the word of a cowering fool like you, someone who surrounds himself with lies? You wish."

Just as he finally strode proudly down the corridor to tend to his garden, a mysterious portal behind him disappeared. Its owner had heard every word of the heated conversation between Marluxia and Axel.

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Weary from arguing with that insidious redhead, Marluxia sighed as he trudged inside his greenhouse, disregarding the fact that he could have just as easily teleported. What did Larxene see in that vile man? She would buckle to his will, wouldn't she? She would show weakness, when she usually seemed so invulnerable to everything, much less everyone. Furthermore, he sensed a pang in his chest that he could not place an emotion to, for he could barely identify the basic "feelings" for each. Non-existent life inevitably confused him at the moment, so he wished to occupy himself with his beautiful flowers. At least they had a chance of halfway understanding his situation, he presumed. He proceeded to pick up his forsaken metal watering can to tend to the few, if not only, friends he possessed in this horrific world. First, he watered the hydrangeas, those lovely bushes that were planted evenly throughout his garden, his refuge. He remembered all the months he spent perfecting this place. The labors he took to force his flowers to bloom were very fondly remembered. Perhaps he could love after all...if he had had a heart with which to care. Really, that stupid, meaningless conversation with Axel had almost drained him physically. In fact, he gave his hydrangeas too much water at one point due to his meandering thoughts.

Next, Marluxia watered the lilies, varying in all sorts of shades—a rainbow of colors. Yet, no false joy overwhelmed him upon seeing them today. If Larxene would escape his mind for an instant, maybe he could be "happy." So he trudged, from flower to flower, all the while pondering over these potential feelings about her. He divulged his thoughts to the roses, the ones he related to the most. They loved to show off their captivating petals, yet they declared, "Don't touch" when a fool tried to pick one. Their cruelly sharp thorns ensured to drive others away, too proud to let anyone in on their many secrets. Marluxia uncannily felt like them, he really did, especially in the case of Larxene. If she had only approached him in a kind—no, _decent_—manner, then perhaps he would have allowed her to become intimate with him. Sure, they got along in recent days, but merely because she found love...with that damnable Axel.

Frustrated and wishing to forget the fact that his gorgeous nymph ever went with the Flurry of Dancing Flames, Marluxia turned his sapphire eyes to his patch of peonies. Suddenly, an overwhelmingly keen headache caused him to drop his can and be on the verge of unconsciousness as he collapsed onto the grass. Some sort of memory surely must have been triggered by those bright yellow flowers. But, what could it...?

_Two blissfully happy teenagers laughed while sharing an enchanted evening in Fairweatherton Woods. They grasped each other's hands, refusing to let go. Indubitably, they were in rapturous adolescent love, judging by the way they stared at each other. The black haired boy guided his blonde girlfriend into the recesses of the forest to show her a patch of flowers he had discovered earlier that day. Her teal eyes gazed at him while he ever so slightly glanced at her with his vividly blue ones. He then showed her the patch, which consisted of vibrant, beautiful yellow peonies in their glorious splendor._

"_These flowers remind me of you, too. I think a lot of them do," the boy murmured thoughtfully, seating himself beside them. He playfully dragged the girl down with him, making her giggle shrilly but with the utmost delight._

"_Obviously, considering you compare me to your favorite flowers all the time now," she said somewhat sarcastically, though joy displayed itself in her eyes._

_A gentle smile tugged at the boy's lips as he replied, "You have a very unique, varied personality, Lenera. You can be all sorts of people—or in this case, flowers—and not even know it."_

"_Very metaphorical, that," she sighed, nestling next to him. "So, what side of my personality do these peonies remind you of?"_

_He pretended to contemplate over this for a long time as a reaction, fingering his chin sagely. Finally, he explained to her, "You have a devilish side about you that is just simply captivating. You do things without a second thought, are very impulsive, and tend to joke lightly for shock value. You're careless...in a good way...and these peonies represent that."_

_Lenera smiled beguilingly. "Well, you have me all figured out based on your flowers, don't you, Lariaum?"_

_He leaned over to capture her lips with his very briefly, and, after breaking the kiss, he whispered, "I think I do, Len. I think I do."_

Marluxia managed to escape from this fantastic vision. It surely couldn't be real, just a dream to trick him. However, that girl seemed awfully familiar. And the boy had his very eyes and sophisticated manner of speaking. He treated the girl as though she meant everything to him, shared with her an intimacy that could last forever. These two complemented each other like night versus day, light versus dark...

...And thunder versus roses.

As well as the characteristics, the names stood out to him as well. He could discern the boy—Lariaum—as himself with a few movements of the letters and an added _x_. After all, their Nobody names were merely anagrams of their Somebody names, were they not? As for the girl...Lenera...so beautiful and sarcastic that of course Lariaum would be attracted to her. She embodied everything he could ever dream to find in a woman. With an arrangement of her name...

Larxene! It had to be Larxene! He must tell her this at once; then again, he should bide his time until she rid herself of Axel. Yes, that was what he would do, even though this revelation made him so excited.

He would win her. After this vision, he knew they were meant to be.

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**A/N: Yay for Marly's revelation! Hm, this plotline might turn out for the better after all--but wait. Complications, complications. If Axel and Larxene would just break up (I like Larxel, though Marlene pwns it), then everything would be awesome, MWAHAHAHA! But, obstacles have to be faced first...I'm just sayin'.**

**Sorry that I kept you guys waiting. I had a French Club trip last weekend in which we went to see Phantom of the Opera (the live version) and to the mall, where I discovered the joys of Hot Topic. And I got an awesome L (off Death Note) T-shirt and...but anyway.**

**Please review! XD**


	21. Her Second Thoughts

**A/N: Well, guys, I'm back. You're probably wondering if I fell off a cliff or not. XD No, but I gotta say that it took me forever to find time for this fiction. What with Xion's Opinions and my X-mas story, this had to be pushed back. But, it's back for now, so I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

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**Chapter 21: Her Second Thoughts**

Perching gingerly on the balustrade of one of many balconies through this vaguely spaceship-like castle, Larxene gazed fervently at Kingdom Hearts. As Xemnas preferred to say, it was the source for darkness and the key to retrieving their hearts. But, suppose this oddly heart-shaped moon stayed neutral—no light and no darkness? It chose to rest somewhere in the middle in a happy (yet unhappy) medium. Did he ever think of that? No, that she knew better than anyone else in this forsaken Organization. He relied on his lust for power and revenge against denizens of the light to achieve his goal. Not only that, but he seemed the type to leave his mostly adoring followers all behind. This was starting to turn out to be one miserable cult, Larxene decided. Now, if she turned things around, she could reign over...hmm, doubtless that that would work, though.

After all, though Xemnas must have declared himself supreme Superior of the Organization XIII ages ago (long before she even came into the picture), rebels in this castle plotted against him. Since someone rose this drastically to power, renegades were bound to be born. In fact, Axel told her sardonically just the other day what he thought of their "gregarious leader."

"He's nothing but a fake," he scoffed, running his hand through his scarlet spikes of hair. "If someone were to, let's say, topple him off his high throne, things could get accomplished around here."

She wondered what her boyfriend had implied by that...unless the same greed that possessed Xemnas possessed him as well. It could be possible yet not—it was hard to tell with that enigma. Maybe that was the reason they were falling apart as a once indestructible couple. Sometime between their first date two weeks ago and the fifth one that ended a couple of minutes ago, some strain formed wedged in between their relationship. If Larxene merely asked how his mission went, Axel would look at her mysteriously and not even say a word. He would vanish into a portal, still staring at her as though she accidentally discovered a dark secret concerning him. For the most part, his face would remain an emotionless mask, but his eyes told a different story.

He was concerned not only for himself but for her, since he would keep apologizing to her occasionally for nothing. As if the man could feel guilt! Wasn't he supposed to be some sort of villain, according to Marluxia? But, then again, a profound personality lay underneath the scornful, mocking surface of the redhead. Even if he regretted them ever getting together (then why did he hit on her?), why would he try to pull her on a string? Larxene was no fool. She could sense these psychological perceptions better than anyone. Why did they even get as far as they did in the relationship? Sighing heavily from the realization that she lived a lie, she absentmindedly yet anxiously tapped her fingers on the marble railing. If she tortured herself as well as her boyfriend with their romantic façade any longer, she would burst. Perhaps it was all just meaningless lust after all. One little encounter in the library, and she had been smitten. Ugh, she could hardly believe such weakness could emerge from her!

As for Marluxia, the pink haired man treated her far more kindly than in the past. For each day of the week, he would give her a single flower. Lilies on Sunday, asters on Monday, and so forth until Saturday—he reserved that special day for bestowing her red rose. That particular vivid color of the species represented passionate love. Could he seriously have feelings for her? Sure, sure, the whole Nobodies have no hearts "fact" allegedly stated that as false. However, what she had with him could be true. She could blame their rivalry on sexual tension perhaps. That could work in this case, solving the mystery as to why he behaved harshly before. Axel never gave her roses, for he would forget to bring her anything. In the rare circumstance that he did remember a gift, he would accidentally burn it with his overly hot hands. Oh, why did the heavy romance between them cool so suddenly?

And now, she sensed another memory of the dark haired boy who resembled Marluxia taking persistent hold of her mind. She had started seeing these especially strong visions at night—ever since the first date she had with Axel. Her memories struggled to tell her that something was amiss in paradise for her and the fire elemental. Were they trying to tell her that they weren't meant to be? What a terrifying thought! Her teal eyes widening slightly, Larxene pondered over the possibility of her going with the wrong man. Mystery Man (the one in her dreams and muddled thoughts) appeared far more handsome...and kind and gentle...perfect. Axel—well—he could never really aspire to become living perfection like the man of her dreams. Wait, if Axel wasn't the man of her dreams, then who could it possibly...?

She gasped from subconsciously reading her book of revelation in a sense, nearly falling off the balustrade in the process of this pivotal moment. Gulping down this fear (relatively unknown to her, that emotion), she felt beads of perspiration sliding down her brow. Why had she been so stupid and naïve before? Marluxia had been there more for her, technically. Last week, a huge Heartless that they were trying to contain in Wonderland tackled her to the ground, pinning her by the shoulders. She remembered gritting her teeth as she forcefully shouted at it to get off of her...or else it would face the consequences. Just as it threatened to kill her for good (even without a heart, this could still happen if she got digested or something to that effect), Marluxia saved her just in time. Oddly enough, he rescued her with an alternative weapon...a soup ladle.

"Was that the secret recipe for success?" she had joked in their newly traditional light-hearted banter.

He grinned that famous, dazzling, and heart melting grin of his that seemed to have a power of its own over her, some sort of charm. "It was a weapon I hadn't used in a while. I also thought that that Heartless needed a good smack on the head—not a decapitation. Are you all right, my dear?"

"Fine, thanks to your soup ladle. Speaking of which, I'm hungry." Larxene paused to laugh at the irony of these comparative statements. "I wonder what they're serving at the kitchens."

"I don't know. Let's find out."

He had offered his hand, which she accepted without really thinking twice about it. A hand touch didn't mean infidelity to a significant other, did it? However, though Axel was indeed a romantic interest, she increasingly sought out Marluxia's companionship as the passion died down into a few burning embers. Soon, it wouldn't even be embers but ashes drifting off on the cold northern wind to a far-off place she could only dream. Even though what she recently shared with the gardener was a comfortable camaraderie, she preferred it over her allegedly serious relationship with Axel. What she had with him now had previously comprised of childishness and jokes. Now, it was just plain seriousness all the time, and if that quality worked for most couples, it certainly didn't work for them. All along it came back to the fact that it could honestly be a lie, no more and no less.

Pensive at the moment, Larxene reflected on the presently warm friendship she had with Marluxia. Whenever she needed him, she could rely on him for anything. Their conversations covered a variety of topics, and they enjoyed each other's humor whenever it came up, more often than it used to be. She simply adored his sharp wit and his alluring mind that could possibly contain an IQ up to 175. Number Eleven served as one of the most intelligent men in the Organization—Axel, not so much, more streetwise than anything. So, could the sharing of "love" with the redhead turn sour if she prolonged it any further? At this point, Larxene lacked doubts regarding that matter.

He materialized from a portal just then, as though fate jested at her almost guilt that nearly shattered her if she dwelled on it for too long. Putting on a rather brave face on what she would so cowardly dare to do, Larxene stood from the railing to greet him. Once again, no jokes lit his emerald eyes, practically dead due to the shortage of them. It was her fault. The torturous suffering of their combined contriteness had gone on for long enough. She had to break it off, especially if the man who resembled Marluxia entered her thoughts instead of him.

"Hey," Axel solemnly greeted, raising a hand that he limply dropped afterwards. Truthfully, Larxene expected him to drop dead from merely speaking to her. She sighed yet again, realizing that she could never be truly happy with him from this day forward. Inevitably, she would have to create her own path, one that did not involve him treading beside her. As much as she had desired it three weeks ago (had it really only been three weeks?), their love faded now—if it had even taken on that way to begin with.

"Hi," she said back just as grimly. One would think that there had recently been a funeral occurring in the castle rather than a dying flame of a romance. But, all she had thought about in the past few minutes was Marluxia; those thoughts had made her content with herself. Wondering about Axel's enigmatic ways only suffocated her soul instead of enticing her as they once did. Raking back strands of her blond hair, she murmured, "I have a confession to make. I'm not in love with you any more."

Most definitely, she didn't adore and admire him now like she had last week. Talk about a run-of-the-mill, crash-and-burn whirlwind of a passion they shared. However, water was drowning the flames, which were drowning without any chance of salvation. The thunder brought the rain that devoured them after all. In the mean time, Axel raised a questioning eyebrow, though his somewhat pained green eyes told her that he knew what it would be. She would say goodbye to him after much contemplation that began once their fifth and last dismal date ended. When Marluxia had interfered with his natural charisma, their dates had fared poorly. This one had happened to be the worst of them all. And Larxene was sick of the failures they brought. Dates were supposed to comprise of sheer happiness and love not misery and despair. That's what happens when you go out with a twisted sadist like me, she thought bitterly, unclenching her shaking fists. In a voice that sounded so much stronger than what she felt deep down, she told Axel, "I feel like we've been lying to ourselves ever since we started. What could have been love between us just died after choking to death."

Usually, as customary for her, she made these rather blunt, ugly metaphors that actually told the truth. For all of her dementedness of her soul, she knew that she valued honesty above all else. Maybe Axel had lied to her too the whole time.

For, he nodded in submission, not even attempting to persuade her that they belonged together. Both of them knew they really didn't. Besides, Larxene figured out the other night that Axel's Somebody had been a guy named Lae who was a total jerk to her. Obviously, what could come out of something that had been so ugly in a past life? Nothing, clearly, as she drearily recognized.

Unclasping a gold locket, his only gift unscathed by fire, she returned it to him with an almost expressionless face. Inside, for once, she was crying disbelievingly about why she had gotten into this whole loveless situation.

Still without a tremor to her voice, she whispered, "Goodbye."

Proceeding to portal herself out of there before she could see the shock on Axel's handsome face, she sensed tears in her eyes. He lied to her. Why didn't she explode instead? Oh, that's right. She hated to hurt him for some odd reason that departed entirely from her sadist self. Oh well, what was done was done. She needed to go to Marluxia and tell him about their past lives together before it was too late.

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**A/N: Larxel fans, I have to apologize to you first and foremost. Then again, for your consolation prize, I had Larxene actually let Axel down gently. I know, I wasn't really expecting it myself until I started typing the chapter. XD Marlene fans, rejoice! Larxene and Marluxia might get together soon...if certain things don't happen to ruin it. I may or may not include these certain things whatever they are. Ah, it's good to be the author! I may be bluffing, and you wouldn't know. It's like playing poker.**

**OK, the "book of revelation" reference was just something I came across in "Anne of the Island", which is in the "Anne of Green Gables" series. It popped into my head while typing, so I thought I could use it. Secondly, the ladle is an actual joke weapon that Marluxia uses in 358/2 Days (in case you didn't know by now). And thirdly, since I like Larxel a little, I just could not have Larxene explode over Axel. Blame it on my Axel preference, so throw the tomatos!**

**Otherwise, I hope all of you were happy with the chapter overall.**


	22. Together

**A/N: Marlene fans, get ready. This is the moment you've all been gearing up for. Even _I've _been getting ready for this. It is THE MOMENT! Yes, sadly (for me anyway), there will be some mild Axel bashing. And he's my fave character. But, see, he's fallen out of favor with Larxene, and Marluxia hates him. That was bound to happen. Here we go!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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**Chapter 22: Together**

Marluxia tended his flowers like always, giving them a fairly decent shower with his watering can. As a Nobody who did nothing but cause chaos and death at every turn, he at least found the solace of providing life to these plants. After all, he couldn't moonlight as the Grim Reaper constantly, which was why he sometimes despised his scythe. One day, while fingering through a contemplation of dark horror tales, he saw the picture of the harbinger of death. A bony hand had held a weapon eerily similar to his scythe, and his face was entirely concealed by a frayed hood. In fact, the robe itself that covered the Reaper was clearly damaged, judging by the loose threads that dangled from the hem. Just recollecting that dismal image sent chills down Marluxia's spine. Could he really steal that many lives? Sometimes, he enjoyed the comparison, but tonight...

He could bask in these beautiful colors that his flowers possessed, maybe feeling somewhat closer to being human again. Sure, he seemed to act like an ordinary human, but that was just a mere semblance. Without even saying a word to those around him, he was lying to people about who he really was. And that devastated him more than anything in the world if he pondered over it for too long. Commonly, he would ask himself pathetic questions such as "Why did this have to happen to me?" or "Why are we the outcasts, when everyone else is so naïve as to what this life is like for us?" To say the least, it was blunt hell to even rely on others for these answers, much less depend on him. If that Heartless hadn't attacked him on that day, which felt so long ago by his standards, would everything still remained normal? Would he have attended his afternoon botany class without any incident?

Close to losing himself in his thoughts as he airily stepped toward his next flower patch, Marluxia swore he glimpsed a portal of darkness. If that cad Axel dared to show his pathetic face in these premises, he would be thoroughly distraught. The redhead could destroy anything he touched, especially these lovely, fragile flora that never harmed or hurt. Not only that, but this horrid rival dared to charm his way into Larxene's favor. Even though Marluxia did want his cherished one to be happy, he wondered if she ever realized that Axel could never give her what she wanted. In spite of her ongoing quest to feel something remotely near her past life, her current boyfriend would only crush her. Now, if Number Eleven had her near all the time, this event would never happen. He would keep her content, ensuring that she thrived like his beloved flowers. Basically, he would protect her from the world's scum, especially that insignificant, idiotic, and overall sly man. Then again, since she truly wished to be with him...

Yet, she stumbled toward him presently, tears dampening her normally spirited, dry teal eyes. What happened? Marluxia could barely believe that the woman he desired tried to reach out to him. Her arms trembled, and she appeared so very un-Larxene-like that he immediately blamed this on Axel. That man could hardly ever take a decidedly not idle threat seriously. Apparently, Larxene's emotional peace had not been _his _top priority.

No, no time to dwell on his still standing grudge toward the fire elemental now—his Larxene needed him, and certainly, he would offer comforting arms.

"M—Marluxia," she stuttered, nearly sounding like a child ready to burst into sobbing. "I—I need to t—talk to you."

His sapphire eyes considerably softening, he strode over to her without responding. He knew words were not necessary right now; undoubtedly, if they were to have a conversation, he doubted she could last the duration. Her vulnerability pained him, for he liked to see her as the strong one, the one who wouldn't let anybody touch her. Then again, this whole new side to her actually captivated him, drew him closer to her. Perhaps once this moment ended, she would turn to him for guidance more often. And he could rely on her just as much if not more so. They could be together forever without any other Organization member interfering.

Aware that it would be best to stay silent this one time, he proceeded to enfold Larxene in his arms, to let her know he was here for her. Time and time again, he proved himself as this devoted man toward her. He could do that until the end of time, if Nobodies were not as immortal as Xemnas insisted. Who cared what that insufferable idiot thought anyway? Peacefully closing his eyes to add some calm to her obviously frayed nerves, Marluxia stroked her hair gently. Every strand passed through his gloved fingers like sand and just as soft, too. It reminded him of a golden beach he had seen on one of their missions the other day. At the time, Larxene had a dazzling smile on her usually grim, cruel face, blissfully skipping pebbles across the expanse of ocean. She almost acted like a child again, not that he minded. If anything, he was glad to see her in that light, so carefree and happy instead of her generally dour self. This whole other side to her presented itself to him as it did now.

The poor girl appeared rather breakable in his arms, as though a sudden gust of wind could carry her away in an instant. It was almost...terrifying for her to depart entirely from her bold, devil-may-care attitude. Forcing herself to lift her watery gaze toward his, she attempted to speak. Pained at seeing her traumatized to the point that she had to make herself talk, Marluxia laid two fingers on her lips.

"Shhh," he consoled. "Don't try to talk now. Even if you need to, it looks as though it's difficult for you. Does it have something to do with Axel?"

Larxene miraculously listened to him for once by following his directions. Instead of even trying to speak, she gave a lopsided shrug and a nod. So, obviously, her boyfriend (possibly ex-boyfriend) had partially contributed to her current distraught state. If it hadn't been the main issue at hand, he pondered over the possible reason why. Perhaps she had failed at a mission, something she determinedly avoided doing. She protected her pride like a mother would her child. Then again, her strength and battling prowess consistently excelled, so there was no way she would ever lose to anybody. She was that unconquerable most of the time.

Being unsuccessful with a mission along with her butting heads with Axel was definitely out as upsetting dilemmas. Then, Marluxia contemplated that maybe she sensed a connection to memories of her past, as a Somebody named Lenera as he was one named Lariaum. She could have realized that they were meant to be; therefore, the fact that she dated Axel shamed her to the point of tears. But, why, though? He might be of some importance to her but as for feelings stretching beyond friendship? Impossible. It had to be, surely, for she only saw him as a best friend, a confidante whom she could turn to at any given moment. Holding her now to ease her pain certainly was one of these moments. Out of the corner of one of his vividly blue eyes, he noticed Larxene struggling to form the words she wished to say on her lips. He would grant her this opportunity this time, but hopefully she wouldn't burst into agonizing tears again. Anything to see that smile on her face like the one that had existed that day on the beach would be enough for him.

"Marluxia," she whispered concernedly, wary of what his reaction would be. "I—I've been having these memories of y—you and m—me...as Somebodies, I think."

She closed her eyes shut in concentration before resuming, "Yeah, it had to be it, because yours had black hair."

He smiled wryly. "A shame I didn't keep it as a Nobody then."

As clever and somewhat intelligent as she was, she managed to figure out the veiled implication behind his words. Something clicked in her mind right then and there, as though she knew that he felt well aware of his own visions. These memories/dreams they had shared together were one and the same and, most of all, tangible. They were real, they had to be. Or so he anticipated eagerly she would reach that conclusion. Inevitably, she did, for once her prolonged meditation ended, her whole face lit up like the volts leaping off her kunai. Very slightly almost invisible if he hadn't been this close to her, she smiled.

"You know something about this, don't you?" she inquired in a vaguely soft tone, rather odd coming from her. Usually, soft was not the adjective of choice to describe Larxene. Nasty, vicious, angry, and angst-ridden more suited to her tastes, according to those who merely knew her as a colleague. But, since he had befriended her after all, Marluxia witnessed other aspects of her personality. Fun-loving, content, breezy—these traits he had been familiar with when it came to her. And, as he still held onto her tenderly, he recognized that he was glad to have come to befriend her as he had.

"Indeed I do," he answered in the affirmative, responding to her question after meticulously thinking about just what he affectionately adored about her. "I have a feeling that perhaps we have experienced visions of our past lives at the same time. Did you recall the Twilight Town tour I gave you?"

"...Yes."

"The moment I kissed you after comparing you to peonies?"

"Yes," she murmured, the smile growing steadily into a grin with perfectly white, immaculate teeth. How beautifully her grin hypnotized him!

"Did you have visions of our high school dance, the first kiss we shared—the time we sneaked away toward the country lake after our graduation party?"

Almost shouting joyously from all these good remainders of their past lives, she replied, "Yes, yes, yes!"

Nearly chuckling from the contagious, _electrifying _radiance she emitted just from her blissfulness alone, he told her as he tapped her nose, "I have only one more question for you then. This is imperative...for I cannot, for the entire world, bother you with this again if you reply in the negative. After all, perhaps you believe in what that old fool Xemnas has preached to us this whole time. Perhaps you...opine the same manner in which he does in the sense that Nobodies don't have feelings or emotions. Maybe you believe we just have the very inklings of what they once were..."

Trailing off in provoking, hurtful thought that sent many pangs where his heart should be, Marluxia stopped speaking. Also, the smile that had made his face even more handsome to Larxene vanished from sight. Pensiveness took over. Not even the flowers and bushes and enthralling fountains and walkways surrounding them could not comfort him. He did not know why...oh, wait, he did. Certainly, she could hardly have feelings for him. She _did_ look like the type to take the poppycock that Xemnas shoved down everyone's throats as gospel. No, though, he should have more faith in her than that. She was his trusted friend out of all these imbeciles in the Organization.

Keenly sensing his disheartened (ironic in itself, she realized) features, Larxene decided to bestow him with a bit of encouragement. For some strange yet breathtaking reason, she wanted to hear his question.

Clearing her throat, she asked, "What's the question, Marluxia?"

"Do you really wish to hear it?"

"No, I'd rather go on missions all day. Of course I want to hear it!"

Heaving a sigh that foretold some apprehension, Marluxia resolved to comply. He couldn't just promise something then abandon her to guess. Even though they both knew each other extremely well at this point, she failed to read his mind. He could barely decipher the inner workings of it half the time, much less her being able to... Enough rambling in his contemplation, he thought. In spite of his nearly indecipherable nervousness, he had waited to ask this for quite some time. Really, he would not wait forever. His lousy Organization job as well as his own pride and driven spirit would not allow him. Besides, if he refused to go with his instincts, how would she ever know?

Sighing again while trying desperately not to show his worries, he inquired, "Do...do you love me?"

All Larxene saw was red, but it contrasted severely from anger. She sensed that bizarre crawling sensation across her face, her ears, and right at the nape of her neck. She was blushing! However, this blushing proved far more drastic than what Axel had caused her to feel. Her spine tingled, and her pulse raced out of partial disbelief, partial joy. How long had she longed for him to ask that? How often had she prepared to ask the same thing herself yet chickened out at the last minute? How needlessly had she felt like she would create some discomfort between them if the topic had been brought up in conversation?

Presently, despite these previous thoughts, she realized that this wasn't awkward at all. It felt like all of her wishes had come true with that question that had been phrased anxiously. And Marluxia was _never_ anxious! She wanted to laugh fondly at him, though she dared not injure his feelings or dash his hopes. Oh heck, Larxene concluded, she might as well just give her answer and save the poor guy unnecessary embarrassment.

"I love you," she murmured half-seductively, half-contently while playing with the strings of his robe. "And you're more valuable and precious to me than Axel ever was. Did I tell you he's my ex now?"

Noting that Marluxia's sapphire eyes considerably brightened with sheer happiness, she proceeded to embrace him. He did the unexpected by picking her up and swinging her around, making her squeal in delight. She felt like a child again with his arms propelling her in the air. And how she wanted to go higher yet couldn't! Not even Nobodies had wings, no matter how much it should be a right. So, he loved her, too? Eat your heart out, Number Eight! Oh, that's right, you don't have one. These exclamations resounded in her head, and she was no longer regretful over ditching him. He could have his obsessively craved for fire for his company. That redheaded weasel never needed her anyway.

As Marluxia finally placed her down as gently as he could, Larxene threw her arms around him again. The only difference was, when she lifted her head to meet his stare, he crashed his lips against hers softly yet passionately. Part of her, deep down and almost concealed, thrilled to this. This part of her felt like it had known his lips forever. She believed, now more than ever, that memories could return to their rightful owners, only if they themselves let the good memories in. Nothing could taint this sheer happiness now. It was just her and him, together in harmony, in love. Whatever that tall tale teller Xemnas said had to be positively, one hundred percent false.

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**A/N: Boo-yah, togetherness, all right-ness! XDDD Even with this chapter, I myself was picky about it. I felt like--hm, did I go in-depth with their feelings enough? Or, and this bothered me more, did I get the moment right in the sense that you guys enjoyed it? Oh, let's face it, I'm naturally self-critical.**

**So, please review! Overall, I was still happy with this chapter. It might have been faultless to you readers out there, I don't know. But yeah, reviews do help me to know that this chapter was great to you guys. Anyway, yeah, here's the scoop. About five or six chapters, and this story is finished! Yes, do you not think I can cram all I need to in these last few chapters? Well, I shalt prove you wrong! XD So much stuff happens (events at Castle Oblivion, yada-yada) that it will have your heads reeling. Or not.**

**So review! Not like I said it enough times already. XP**


	23. Prelude to Rebellion

**A/N: Hey, guys, welcome to another edition of TCDR. Even though I usually don't do this, I thought I'd give a shout-out to a fan of mine and personally dedicate this chapter to her. TheOriginalFangirl, thank you for your kind review and faves. It's really nice to get messages like that from someone who's been following the progress of this story. XD Anyway, guys, here's chapter 23 for your thoughts.**

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**Chapter 23: Prelude to Rebellion**

"More tea, my most beloved Savage Nymph?" Marluxia inquired tenderly as he poured more of the caramel colored liquid from the porcelain teapot he held adeptly with one hand. They currently seated themselves in an empty white room currently unoccupied by any of the members. Most of them had scoffed at the looks of the room, disgusted at the blank dismalness of it. It only proved that even Organization XIII could tire of their signature color scheme. In fact, this empty chamber had been seen by a select few of the members, and Marluxia and Larxene happened to chance a glance at it the other day. Overjoyed that they could find a more subtle spot for their secret trysts (Marluxia had thought the greenhouse too obvious for meetings now), the two Nobody lovers often sought refuge here every day. Love was heavily frowned upon within the strict set of rules and policies that Xemnas himself devised.

Then again, the Superior detested almost every display of positive emotion in his own palace that he coveted more than the rest. He appreciated misery above all else, for he sincerely felt that it made the world go round...at least in the realm of Nobodies. Even so much as a laugh that would sound too pure for his tastes quietly angered him. Evil resided here, and evil would so shall remain here until he declared otherwise. Thus, he despised Marluxia for the most part, for Number Eleven acted too optimistic. So, to hide the extent of their profound affections, Marluxia and Larxene addressed each other as though they were indifferent to each other in front of the others. That way, no one could suspect a thing, especially Saix, the resident guard dog of the palace. Or so the gardener condescendingly called him.

Accepting the tea readily, Larxene held out her white china teacup with her pinky up in the air. However, displaying this sign of refined teatime manners thoroughly amused her, and she sarcastically winked at Marluxia. He chuckled at her enthusiasm regarding parodying such stupid refinery. Life was nothing but a dream for the two of them presently. He could sip tea with her across from him at the table all day long. Nothing satisfied him more than just to watch her, how playfully her teal eyes would light up sometimes. Especially when she smiled—most of their other hated inmates missed out on seeing that beguiling upturn of her lips. Ah, he loved having her all to himself!

Smiling right now, even, Larxene started another interesting topic of their hitherto paused conversation. "That was a good show we put on today, don't you think, Flower Boy? The new member looked about traumatized when he saw you 'slap' me in the face right in front of him. Ha, hilarious! That look on his face was priceless. He's going to be so fun to mess with."

"Indeed."

They spoke, of course, of Number Thirteen with the name of Roxas, who was recently born from Sora. Everyone in the castle except the "newborn" himself knew of his origins. Xemnas crafted that scheme on purpose, for the last thing he wanted to do was to encourage the boy to set off searching for his Other. They had just gained a powerful ally in the Nobody Keyblade wielder, and to lose him would cost the entire Organization. If he so delighted to escape his only home, there was a very good possibility of them dying because of it. Larxene, however, saw Roxas as no more than an annoying nuisance of a child. Speaking of children...

Marluxia smirked as he responded cuttingly with, "Yes, that boy is such a gullible little sap! I can't believe he hasn't even recognized the identity of the one who provided him with his existence in the first place. I note that he's also taken to hanging around that Axel. Then again, that redheaded idiot took him under his wing as a mentor. Hmph, imagine the kind of influence that man will have on him!"

"Yes," Larxene simpered, though her eyes frowned upon the mere mention of her former lover. "Roxas will be beyond saving at this point. Axel is no one to be trusted....Fine! He could hang out with that little boy all he wants. He's nothing but a child himself anyway. I can't stand him at all, I really can't. The chances of him ever growing up are slim."

Noticing the vague resentment that she had built up over the crumbling failure of her last relationship, Marluxia sensed a small twinge of sympathy for his most precious rose. To think, Axel could just toss her aside like that as though she was little more than a piece of discarded, unwanted trash. And, being the witness to see the treatment she had received from him on the last legs of a relationship destined to fail, he showed the kindest support for her. He would at least show her somewhat more decency than that in their blooming romance. In fact, he resorted to swearing to himself that he would always be there for her. Gently, he rested his gloved hand on top of her limp, retracted one.

"Larxene, what happened with you and that careless man was the past. I don't mean to sound boastful or anything of the like, but I did see this coming. But, you should know that I will never treat you like that. You deserve the best—even the whole world—my love."

A genuine smile flattered her lips this time, improving his already high spirits concerning their love. Who cared what Xemnas thought? If this was so wrong in his steely eyes, why were they happier than they had ever been as Somebodies? In all fact here, Xemnas was the one who never experienced the joy that love could bring. He was the heartless one, not they.

Just as they resumed regaling each other with blissful conversation once more, a portal promptly formed in the center of the room, therefore cutting their romantic rendezvous short. The first thing the two of them saw was long blue hair that cascaded down the man's shoulders. It was Number Seven of the Organization, come to annoy them once more.

It seemed that, as of late, they would see him standing in the shadows of whatever room they happened to be in, his cold gold eyes calculating every slight movement they made. He would say nothing, just silently intruding on their privacy as though he had been given permission to squander time with them. One time, Larxene swore she had heard him writing something down, the scratching of pen on paper. But, when she had swiveled her head his way, he held neither writing material nor a writing utensil of any sort. Saix's suspicious behavior guided her to the conclusion that he must be doing subtle reconnaissance for the Superior. But, why would he be asked to execute such a task?

Marluxia, in the mean time, knew exactly what Saix was doing. Despite the fact the moon worshipper spent his days looking longingly at Kingdom Hearts, he also moonlit as Xemnas' inside man. Whatever information the head of the Organization wished to find out, he would be always scouting for it. Unfortunately for the couple, the blue haired man scarcely wavered in his duties until he had finished them. He would overcome just about any obstacle to appease his Superior. The other members, especially Axel, scoffed at him for such obvious bias. However, if Saix cared about their opinions, he certainly didn't show it. Out of all the members, he lived the most to serve as well as perfecting apathy. No emotions could ever be seen on his face, save for the occasional muted anger and frustration he held for what he considered his stupider peers. Then again, at least the rest of them did the normal thing and not attempt to win Xemnas' high favor.

Deciding to feign dumb unawareness for now, Marluxia injected a bit of warm greeting into his voice as he entreated, "Would you care for some tea, Saix? Larxene and I were just having a conversation concerning the next mission that Xemnas assigned us. Weren't we, Larxene?"

She was amazed at her lover's astounding acting ability, how he could pretend kindness toward someone who otherwise didn't deserve it. Under the pretense of agreement, she nodded her head enthusiastically. "Yes, before we had the pleasure of receiving your company, Number Seven. Marluxia and I are just _thrilled_ about contributing to the cause once we set off for Neverland."

A barely visible frown touched Saix's lips, though he showed no other semblance of false emotion. He remained quiet, resolving to wait until these two pathetic lovers were done with their little afternoon theatre before he added his own words on the subject. For, as a personal spy for the Superior, he could easily detect just when someone directly lied to him. Though these two (especially the flower man) had performed well enough to satisfy any audience, he would not be so fooled. No, he knew what he needed to do, but he would bide his time.

Marluxia took this silence as encouragement to go forth in his speech and kindly receive the rejected invitation to tea. "Well, if you don't care to join us in our leisurely lunch, then perhaps you would like to share what you are going to do in your next mission."

"Most definitely," Larxene added eagerly (too eagerly and too quickly, Saix inwardly noted). "After all, nothing is better than to talk about our exciting missions together."

Narrowing his golden eyes further, the blue haired man merely snorted contemptuously. Even on a good day for him, he refused to confide to anyone regarding his adventures. He was a man who kept to himself and much rather preferred it that way. However, he sensed that if he didn't get to the point soon, Xemnas would inevitably lose patience for him. To fall out of favor with his leader would result in severe consequences, one of which being instantly turned into a Dusk. His enemy Axel occasionally ranted about that occurring to him; quite frankly, Saix wished that lamentable fate on the redhead than himself.

In his favored emotionless monotone, he responded, "I would prefer not to talk about such trivial tasks such as our missions with you two. Actually, I merely dropped by with a message from the Superior. He wishes to speak with you as soon as possible. And I doubt he would enjoy drinking tea for contemptible pleasure such as what you pathetic excuses for Organization members are doing right now."

Still stone faced, Saix glared disdainfully at the two he despised out of the whole Organization, excluding his rival Axel of course. Then, confident that the message was sufficiently delivered, he coldly departed from the room, his brisk footsteps echoing throughout the corridors.

Eyebrows furrowed at the hidden meaning behind Saix's words, Marluxia declared contemplatively, "Larxene...I do believe that that overly loyal Saix is up to something. No, I know the details still further. I have a hunch that he has been spying on us the whole time."

"Spying?" she repeated incredulously, in a tone filled with utter contempt.

He nodded as he set about pacing the perimeter of their previously undiscovered hideaway. "Yes, I think that this must imply that Xemnas is certainly onto our relationship now. He will do everything in his power to separate us."

"That can't happen!" Larxene shouted angrily upon realizing how idiotic she had been in not detecting the conspicuousness of Number Seven's odd behavior. After all, she had seen him standing in the shadows while she and her boyfriend breezily chatted away. She should have known it was espionage, yet she had refused to classify it as that. Presently, at this rate, her relationship with undoubtedly the love of her life would come to an abrupt end. Even though she had no heart whatsoever existing, she could hardly afford to lose such a chance for humanity. To have love taken away from her just when she recognized the true beauty of it would be a genuine tragedy in itself.

"Well," Marluxia sighed heavily, brushing back stray strands of his pink hair as well as dreading the worst. "Let us leave here and reveal for ourselves what Xemnas wants of us."

* * *

They both departed quietly, both worried that even one word could shatter their world together. Considering they strongly depended on each other for any hope of surviving in this chaotic Organization, their anxieties over the possibility that they could no longer visit haunted them. It was the phantom that lurked in the shadows of their minds, which in those existed this singular thought that they shared. Once opening the door to Xemnas' private study, each of them had the morbid instinct that the news could not bode well. And, they were completely accurate in that assumption, judging by the disapproving frown etched on their leader's face.

"Saix has brought many interesting details to my attention lately," he spoke as slowly as usual, though the deadliest venom lined his bass voice. "Some of which include you two consorting with each other. Is this not true?"

Marluxia and Larxene exchanged unsure glances, extremely concerned for their once bright future at this point. How could they respond? How should they respond? If they confessed that they engaged in forbidden love, it would be forbidden entirely and indefinitely. Furthermore, who would answer the Superior's irritably phrased question?

Acutely aware that Larxene dared not be the strong one for once by professing the truth out loud, Marluxia dutifully did it for her.

"Yes, sir, but it is only a mere, casual affair. We should not be punished for such a trifle thing as that. We have still served you well, have we not?"

Despite Number Eleven's silver tongued persuasion, Xemnas was still very much displeased, his frown growing deeper and his sharpened amber eyes steelier.

"Even with this point, Number Eleven, this is a highly serious indiscretion—no—it's a downright offense. How am I to know that you are not plotting against me? Moreover, I have strictly forbidden the romance of any members to go on here. I suppose you have read the rulebook?"

Larxene then smirked fearlessly (more outward appearance than anything else) and replied with a resounding, "No", whereas Marluxia looked sheepish as he retracted his waning conviction by responding with, "Indeed I have, Superior."

"Then you should both know what I think about this...even you, Number Twelve," he stated lowly, sounding more irate than before. "You are hereby forbidden to see each other as of this moment. You are to go your separate ways, and I will ensure to assign you with new mission partners. Marluxia, I will place you with Vexen. And, as for you, Larxene, you shall be under the supervision of Saix on missions."

Her façade of carelessness suddenly ended after this horrible announcement. She would work with Saix? She couldn't at all tolerate that man, what with his arrogance and overall aloofness toward his fellow Nobodies. Why should she remotely have to put up with such unacceptable behavior as this? At least Marluxia had been quite the gentleman toward her.

She found herself screaming, "How dare you! How dare you separate us! Marluxia and I made the best team out of this whole Organization, and for you to interfere with our lives like that—!"

"It is for the best!" the Superior roared out of impatience with the two lovers. "Saix happened to overhear a particular conversation that Marluxia and Axel held a few weeks ago. I believe this happened after one date, am I right?"

Breathless with disbelief, Larxene anxiously glimpsed the submissive expression on Marluxia's face as he inclined his head in acknowledgment of this fact.

"Yes, Superior, it did."

"And you spoke with feeling, quite uncharacteristic from a Nobody, am I correct?"

"Correct."

The Savage Nymph swore she heard a cacophonous crashing around her ears, though this was the sound of her world falling apart. Why did Marluxia have to vouch for her on that night? She was sure that that was what he meant to do in the first place, standing up to irrepressible Axel like that. Indeed, this was the first time she had heard of this. Though she would have been flattered any other day, however, she realized that this was taken as something erroneous, according to Saix's stupidly elfish ears. Teal eyes widened with emotions telling of shock and despair flashing through them, she placed her hand on her chest. Despite the hollow sensation, she figured that if she had a heart, it would have broken at this point. If Saix had laid witness to Marluxia's passion, then there was no saving their relationship now. And she had had no slight want of wishing to end it—she had hoped that it would be forever, as he had promised her the other night during one of their trysts.

"Now that you know who you will be assigned to," Xemnas stated more calmly, though that constant rage was still existent, "I want both of you out of my sight. Stay away from each other from now on, or I will by Kingdom Hearts sign your death warrants."

Melancholy at the new rules that had been placed upon them both, Larxene and Marluxia silently left the study, just as quietly as they had entered it. They were at a loss of what to do. But, then, Marluxia declared something with so much impassioned fury (but quietly stated), Larxene realized that this could not be the end.

"We won't let him get away with this. My dear, now is the time to plot and to strike back...against the very Superior who took us in as members."

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**A/N: Dundundundun! You know, I've always wondered why Larxene and Marluxia wanted to plot against the Organization. This is more than a good enough reason--this would be the perfect reason, a crime of passion. XDD I originally didn't come up with Saix as the eavesdropper to Axel's and Marluxia's little, ahem, "conversation." It was going to be Larxene, but since I forgot to reference that for two chapters in a row, I came up with a better idea. I was almost asleep when I thought, "How about a personal fave of Xemnas' be the one to listen and then do them in?"**

**Yes, Saix was that ideal, and so this chapter was way more dramatic than expected. I feel so genius right now! Anyway, please drop in a review, and I would really appreciate it. XD**


	24. Secret Vengeance

**A/N: Nope, guys, I ain't dead. Though this took me FOREVER, I gotta admit. I apologize. I guess it's just because I always want to make each chapter of TCDR so good. Maybe I'll think less next time.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.**

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**Chapter 24: Secret Vengeance**

Larxene was getting more tired than usual as she wiped dripping sweat off her forehead. Being partnered with Number Seven of the Organization had been brutal to say the least. Saix went out of his way to ensure that she did all the work while he stood in the shadows, patiently watching her fight her way through hordes of Heartless. Every so often, when she would turn around to slash a few more down with her kunai, she would see a stubborn smirk twitch at his lips. He was actually enjoying this, letting his partner do everything. What a sick mind he had. Kingdom Hearts could only know how much she missed Marluxia by her side. At least he would help her if a Heartless took advantage of her exhaustion like just now when she fell. He would even embrace her and give her loving kisses (recently) after the fights concluded. Where was that now, when she needed it most?

Gone, away with her partnership with him. Life just didn't seem fair any more, especially not a life of nothingness like hers.

She wondered how he fared with Vexen—not much better, she could only bitterly assume. That madman was enough to get on anyone's nerves, in spite of Marluxia's good graces and constant patience. She hated Vexen for stealing her lover away from her. She hated Saix for treating her like she was worthless, as though a female would be no huge loss if she happened to die on these missions. And, most of all, she utterly _despised_ Xemnas for suggesting the very idea that she and her Marluxia be simply torn apart like that. He didn't have the courtesy to even ask for their permission. Enraged by this thought, Larxene allowed it to spur her on as she used the last of her precious energy to eliminate the rest of the Heartless.

Finally, she finished that dirty job.

"Thanks for helping me," she spat out bitterly, sarcastically toward her so-called partner who never did anything. Luckily, this meant that their little mission in Halloween Town was over for the day. Thank Kingdom Hearts. She could hardly wait to sneak around the worlds with Marluxia again. For, even though they were supposed to be separated outside of missions as well, there was no way she would take orders. Her listening skills had always been severely lacking.

Saix made no reaction to her biting comment as a smirk barely touched his lips. "You are welcome, Number Twelve. I am always here to help you."

"Yeah, right! You're about as helpful as a wall."

"I would advise you to be careful on what choice words you say to me. I may memorize them for future reference toward our Superior."

The smirk was gone at this point, but his sharp golden eyes showed his condescension toward her. Knowing that good-for-nothing lapdog, he would follow through on his treacherous word. It was yet another quality that Larxene loathed about him. With that in mind, she quietly stepped over toward him, appearing calm on the outside but feeling very poisonous on the inside. She would give anything to see him dead along with most of the other Organization idiots she had met. Even Axel could not be spared from her overwhelmingly toxic hatred toward these lowly people. They did not remotely deserve her respect.

"I hate you," she hissed, ignoring her partner's warning. "If I didn't know better to, I would kill you right now as you stand. No one tells me what to do. Not you. Not Xemnas. Not anyone. Got it?"

Again, if Saix had been even the least bit intimidated by the viciousness of the Nymph, he gave no indication. The only body language sign he gave was a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders. He could honestly care less about what she thought of him. All that mattered to him was his leader's wise opinion that bested everyone else's.

A reply spoken in monotone was all he gave along with an inclination of his head. "As you wish, Number Twelve. If you so insist on having things your own way."

He teleported back to XIII headquarters first, leaving Larxene to recollect her angry, treasonous thoughts. This torture had gone on for long enough, almost two weeks having to put up with that fool. But, it was far more than just having to work with someone she thoroughly disliked; honestly, she would never be as petty as to become infuriated over that. It was the frustration that ate away at her every time she got sent on a mission, when she didn't feel like being active that day. It was the resentment against the undignified subservience she had under that one idiotic man, the head honcho who controlled everything.

It was the fear nagging in the back of her mind that maybe, possibly, their hearts would never return and that their alleged leader had bluffed the whole time. It was the anguish she felt the moment she went on her first mission with Saix with no Marluxia tagging along. All these things she could feel, despite the lack of her heart. She needed a change in this Organization just as everybody else needed a change. Something drastic had to happen in order for full-out rebellion to commence. Once Xemnas lost control of his reins over his own group, club, call it what you'd like, he would be powerless as everyone else pounced upon him like hungry wolves. That was the just treatment he deserved after forcing his fellow "equals" to undergo his constant tugging of their puppet strings. It would be, for once during her time here with these people, _fair_. Even though, yes, she could behave very coldly and extremely sadistically in her cruel actions, Larxene believed strongly in righteousness. Her personal favorite adage, though, absolutely had to be "an eye for an eye." Because, really, wasn't that the way people operated any more? To go to extremes simply to show you mean business if someone commits a wrong against you?

And she had been wronged many times—almost every day as a matter of fact. Most of the time, the blame rested on Xemnas, though some of the other members could partake in their fair share as well. Oh well, nothing mattered any more. What mattered was reuniting with Marluxia, the one and only man who meant dearly to her, and proceeding to plot with him. It would be co-conspiring, so no one could ever know of their upcoming scheme...yet. Once the tables were turned, though—oh, how she would celebrate! She could just imagine the fortress-like castle burning down to the ground, the members taking their hearts while they still flowed from the soon-to-be destroyed moon, and Xemnas yielding to her every whim. She wanted the last one more than anything. To see him on his knees, being _her _dog that she would keep on _her _leash!

For the first time in two weeks, Larxene grinned.

* * *

In the mean time, Marluxia tasted victory on his tongue, too. While he proudly strode the corridors of the World That Never Was castle, he gazed condescendingly into the eyes of passing members. For, it could be rest assured that he proved himself the better of any of them, even that worthless lapdog Saix. That blue-haired ignoramus had no idea that he would be tossed aside once the Superior tired of him. It was their leader's way, no preferential treatment allowed. Oh well, idiots would remain idiots, only hearing the things they wanted to hear and nothing more. The fact of the matter was that Marluxia had just received a promotion, a splendid one to be specific. Xemnas asked him for a "small favor, one of which, however, will be of the utmost importance." This went without saying. Obviously, a certain Keyblade wielder needed to be caught for future plans to develop. For the time being, he, Number Eleven, would serve as lord and undertaker of Castle Oblivion.

What a shock and yet what good news! If he could get that dratted so-called Keyblade Master, he would receive the grand prize. After all, why would he go with Xemnas' order and simply bring the boy to the leader? No, he desired above all else for his heart back. To do that, he would make this wielder bend to _his _will. Who cared what his pathetic "Superior" thought or wanted? Marluxia intended on metaphorically pulling out the rug from Xemnas' feet. If he could delve into Sora's heart and mind, darken it and twist it to his liking, the rewards would be generous. For one thing, the chances would increase that he would obtain his heart again. And another thing, once Organization XIII fell into anarchy (it had to some time, just like the Greek and Roman empires and several civilizations before them), he would take advantage of the grandiose opportunity of playing Superior. He would be a much fairer leader, he thought, twirling a conjured rose thoughtfully with his fingers. Larxene would have to be included in this, of course. His beloved could not be left behind in his ambitious schemes. Together, they would rule the whole worlds, not just this one. One world didn't seem to suffice for his ideas. Why stop at overtaking the Organization?

Speaking of his alluring enchantress, there she was now, stepping out a fading portal. Just the woman he wanted to see! Well, more than usual, considering the unfortunate separation—he couldn't stand Vexen. The man was too insane for his own good, especially since his mind had been warped by supposed scientific experiments. Ugh, why would Vexen do the field work? It was clear to everyone he would rather be in his laboratory, dissecting revoltingly odd creatures that had no known names. As for on the field, he insisted on correcting Marluxia's alleged battling faults when, quite frankly, the older man had one too many. Be that as it was, everything would all change now with his new position and just a few words to his lover.

"Larxene," he greeted, smiling dashingly for her. "I have missed you dearly."

"My thoughts exactly," she sniffed, but returned the smile nonetheless. "That Saix is enough to drive anyone up a wall."

Once he conjured up the traditional red rose to give to her, he walked slowly around her and picked up a strand of her hair to play with it idly. "Let's take this elsewhere."

Sure enough, he took her away to Twilight Town, the place where the romantic magic had first happened for their Somebodies. To Marluxia, it was both sentimental and private. No erroneous lapdog such as Saix would need to perk his ears to catch their conversation. No, not at all, considering kiss-ups would not even be allowed or included in this plot.

"I have something important to share with you. In order to carry out the Organization's plan of taking Sora captive, I have been named lord of Castle Oblivion!"

Instead of a pleased, "Congratulations!" on her part, Larxene only asked flatly, "What?"

"Do you not know what this means?" His blue eyes looked concerned, more anxious than she had ever seen them.

"It means you got a promotion by kissing up to the Superior, that's what it means!" she retorted angrily, incredulous at the fact that he had the indecency to sell himself out like that. Weren't they supposed to be the rebels, the renegades who would torch the Organization XIII HQ down to the ground? Where would getting into the Superior's high favors take them to? Nowhere. After all, he would just imprison them once he tricked them into doing his bidding. So much for her happily ever after, for maybe Marluxia attempted to jest with her as well.

No such thing occurred, though she swore that her scythe wielding beau would vent his frustration and own ire on her. Instead, he closed his eyes and sighed heavily, wondering why this plan fell apart before it could even begin.

"I'm sorry you think that, love," he murmured, cradling her chin in one hand, which she surprisingly allowed. She realized she loved him too much to remain heatedly angry at him. He knew the same, judging by the intelligent awareness in his deeply sapphire eyes.

He continued, "I know this may have seemed like I wheedled Xemnas into granting me this position, but I assure you, he rather caught me off-guard. Truth be told, I want to prove to him that I cannot be trusted. I will play the game my way."

Her teal eyes softened, and Larxene found she was grinning again. "That's the Marluxia I know and love. So, what happens first?"

"Well, my queen," he told her temptingly as he hooked his arm around hers. "First of all, I will _not _hand Sora over to the Superior when the job is finished. No, quite frankly, I will keep him as my own. That way, Larxene, we will have ourselves a...family—if you will—a family of darkness. And you shall be in on this. I will persuade Xemnas to see the great qualities in you, your skillful fighting prowess as well as your keen mind. He will not refuse me now, since I have been named lord. You shall go to the Castle of Oblivion with me, and then the fun begins. We capture this girl that Xemnas has secretly coddled for some time. She lives here in this town, in an old, crumbling mansion. We steal her away once he sends off on our mission, so as to use her to _our _advantage."

Marluxia paused here, but Larxene craved for more. She very well liked this lay-out of his scheme so far. However, she wanted to help out their cause, to contribute something fabricated from her own mind.

"Perhaps we should keep the girl under constant watch. We trap her in this room and—this is what I'm thinking, it's pretty good—we put up a little cage in her room with a resembling doll inside to discourage her freedom."

A supercilious smirk curved Marluxia's lips upward. "Yes. Yes, that is brilliant. I knew I chose the right person in you, dear."

"And, after we're done with her...we keep her in that castle forever, just shortly after we tell her she can go."

"Yes! Yes! Go on!"

Larxene's eyes grew inflamed with avarice and a sick eagerness to help, to be dutiful to her Marluxia. "And then, with Sora incapacitated and the girl trapped in that castle forever, we ambush the headquarters to take the others by surprise, you know. Or, I should say, the remaining others. After all, I doubt anyone else going to Castle Oblivion will survive. If Sora doesn't wipe them out, then we do. Well, anyway, back to the ambush. We surprise our good ole friends one by one and kill them, too. Finally, the final key, we take Xemnas as a personal hostage, play with him for a little while, _and then we kill him_!!!"

Marluxia held back his head and laughed a cold, cruel laugh. "Then, we're the Superiors, right my queen?"

Making no response other than shrilly cackling like the most demented of witches, Larxene joined in his arrogant laughter. They both laughed like the demons they truly were before rapturously kissing, proving their revolting yet pure love to the world.

* * *

**A/N: ****Ah, the dark sides of Marluxia's and Larxene's personalities come out, and they witness in each other how demented they can be. And yet, they love each other for it. Yes, this story has taken a rather dark turn. But, hey, gotta show their manipulative natures some time. Hm, that gives me an idea...**


	25. Inevitable Rift

**A/N: I think I've definitely surprised myself with this chapter. Sorry to keep you guys waiting for so unreasonably long. I'm such a perfectionist with this story. Anyway, this chapter is way darker than even I personally anticipated. So, fair warning, guys.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

**Chapter 25: Inevitable Rift**

They had captured that spineless little witch Namine as planned. Things were going rather smoothly right now, Larxene thought with happy satisfaction, except for one certain redheaded pest. Apparently, according to what Marluxia informed her, as soon as Axel received word that the two of them were to go to Castle Oblivion, he had a change of _heart_ for lack of a better term. He started wheedling the Superior to the point of a vague trust. This trust boosted Number Eight into the very much coveted Castle Oblivion mission, being the last member to fill the empty slot. For, Xemnas, who amused himself by inducing quarrels amongst his members, had decided to put these mission jobs up for grabs. Whoever was the best at their abilities, both physically and mentally, would be suited for the position. Much to everyone else's (especially Saix's) displeasure, these positions were quickly filled.

It was definitely all about trust. However, Xemnas expressed the need for Saix to stay behind, as most valued second-in-command. No matter, Larxene recalled as she strode haughtily toward the witch's room, the memory of Saix's smug expression at the last meeting was too repulsive to think about. All that mattered now was that she was working alongside the love of her life. Slowly but surely, after this mission, the whole castle would be theirs. Unfortunately, a month had passed, and little progress had been made. The Keyblade wielder had yet to make a grand appearance, the witch listlessly kept drawing his memories as instructed, and Axel kept sending the two of them suspicious glances while maintaining that stupid grin on his face. What a clown in every sense of the word. Larxene failed to see what exactly she found so tantalizingly attractive about that man. Her king, her co-ruler, held her trust and her love in his hands.

He would give her everything she could ever want in her entire non-existence. Money, power, a child (albeit a sadistically invented one), love, and eternal happiness to last her entire immortality as a Nobody; these things were like diamonds to her, expensive ones of hope. But, hope did come at a price, she would soon realize.

For now, the Nymph casually wandered inside the girl's room, as though there was nothing there apart from the blank white walls and the ivory furniture. And the cage. Oh, how she loved that cage, whereas her prisoner despised it. Good. She wanted that naïve, childish spirit to strain under the pressure of captivity. One day, it would snap, she was sure of it.

"And how is the witch today, huh?" Larxene asked cattily in her trademark sickly sweet voice, her aqua eyes dancing with cheerful malevolence. When she got like this, she knew as well as the girl did that it meant abuse. Whether it was physical or mental, she bestowed it by the heaps. Maybe it was because when she looked at Namine, she was painfully reminded of the past. A small fourteen-year-old girl slicing apathetically away at her wrists in a dark, quiet, and private cave...

Weakness. That was what the memory witch represented to her, and she hated that quality, wanted to crush it with her bare hands. Did that idiot think Larxene stood for such a pitiful trait? Oh, the depressing childhood had been the worst time for her as a Somebody. Her useless father Geoffrey was somewhere in some sparkling, dazzling big city reaping the fruits of his divorce.

And how did Lenera handle that problem in middle school? Endless tears and stinging cuts that only self-mutilation can bestow. Honestly, why should she, the female warrior Larxene, stoop to kindness to such a girl who resembled the one who hid away in a corner to pray that the pain would go away? No, it was unacceptable. And not to be known to anybody when it came to the abuse; not even Marluxia, the one man she loved above everybody, was aware of what she did to their captive. He dared not dirty his hands in terms of smacking the poor girl to death or sexually abuse her, as Axel was so wont to accuse the flower gardener of. No, he won Namine over with his natural charm, a façade for deadly charisma that not even a fourteen-year-old teenage girl could deny. He acted splendidly, Shakespeare fanatic as he was, as the prince who would rescue her as soon as the dragon was metaphorically slain. Larxene scoffed at this at the time, dismissing it as "being soft with our prisoner."

In the mean time, Namine started quaking in fear, yet her ocean blue eyes filled with hatred. Was she honestly trying to get a feeble spark of rebellion going? If so, the Nymph didn't care, for that spark could easily be snuffed out. She had ensured it was the case before.

"Not talking, hm?" she spoke for the girl in the same falsely sweet tone. "That's too bad. I was really very curious on how the memories are progressing."

Before the pathetic weakling could stop her, she had taken the white sketchbook to idly gaze upon it. However, the drawing surprisingly did not portray anything from Sora's memory. Instead, it showed Namine's captors behind a prison cell of their own—Larxene and Marluxia were both trapped inside. So, apparently, Namine was not dumb enough to not be aware of how the pink haired man toyed with her. Still, seeing herself in some stupid cell enraged Larxene to the point that she rudely tossed the sketchbook aside. How dare that witch! She definitely had some nerve to sketch that, when she knew full well that one of them would check it. An uncharacteristic bold streak like hers needed to be thrown out immediately. So, doing what she deemed right for punishment, Larxene slapped Namine hard across the face.

The skin on the young girl's face turned so vividly red that if the slap had been harder, she most likely would have bled. As usual, though, Number Twelve didn't even care if she cried, much less started bleeding. Could Nobodies (or so-called ones like this piece of dirt) bleed?

With cold teal eyes, Larxene gazed at her victim condescendingly. "Be careful on what you draw or who you draw or how you draw, _witch_. If I see another pretty little picture like this again, I won't be so merciful."

Before she could burst from this seething anger possessing her entire being, she stormed out of the room, every step loud against the marble floor. That idiot girl. How she despised her! As she muddled in her incensed thoughts, she came across Axel. The redhead smirked at her, his mask back on after their rather awkward break-up. Now, he could care less what happened to her, and the same went with her. They were on separate paths that were fated to never converge again.

"How was day care today, Lightning Bug?" he asked, using a once affectionate nickname and twisting it into something contemptuous.

She glared at him. "One wrong word, Axel, and I swear—"

"You'll what? Shock me? Honestly, Larxene, I thought you would be more caring toward the one you loved."

"I never loved you," she spat. "You were just something to pass the time with. An amusement. You were nothing more and nothing less."

For once speechless, Axel dared to stupidly gape at her, his mouth hanging open at an unattractive angle. Good. She was already in a foul mood enough without that immature, childish redhead anyway. How he ever came onto the mission would forever never cease to amaze her. Then again, maybe the answer was obvious. Axel stopped at nothing to get what he wanted, but once he did, he quickly got bored with it. Likewise with her. She quietly cursed him under her breath as she teleported to the library to meet with Marluxia. At least he was the only company worthwhile in this godforsaken place.

* * *

The next day, as with all the other days, remained the same, especially when it came to Larxene's now irrepressibly present bad mood. She had no idea why her temper was so much more fragile recently. As she descended one of the many sets of staircases in the castle to get a cup of coffee, she realized that maybe Marluxia had something to do with it. Every time they met now, it didn't mean anything to him that they were together, alone in a room. The plan, the plan, the damned plan! That was all he would discuss with her for hours on end, rather than asking how her day went or perhaps some snide jokes regarding Axel. It was like they had never met each before in their lives. He treated her like...like...a business partner than someone who meant a great deal to him. In the end, it would all be for the good of the plan. Sora would be a mindless, Heartless puppet, Namine would be sacrificed, and Larxene—well, she saw herself as being tossed away, too.

Stirring in some cream quietly with her spoon, she realized that maybe she hadn't been part of Marluxia's plan to begin with. Maybe, as soon as he finished with her, he would eliminate her, too. He seemed so cold and calculating now, none of that gentle warmth she had come to anticipate from him. Had the warmth been some tactic of his to entreat her to assist him with the plot to take over Organization XIII himself? At this point in time, Larxene knew she could not rule the possibility out.

Unfortunately, the mere thought of Marluxia betraying her did nothing, of course, to appease her already foul mood. Once again, she teleported into Namine's room, a sadistic smirk on her face.

"Well, well, let's see what the artist has for us today. Hopefully, not anything too _vile _this time," she said breezily, but one barely perceptible twitch of her teal eyes gave her away. If Namine infuriated her again through a picture, she would not hold back the pain. And if Marluxia caught her in the act, she found that she didn't much care any more what he thought. So, preparing to unleash some attacks, she picked up the sketchbook for the daily checking. Were the drawings appropriate for their mission? In Namine's case, that little insect better pray that it was so. Hm, let's see...pictures of Sora, pictures of the worlds the Keyblade Master and his pathetic lackeys had gone to, pictures of Riku, pictures of Kairi, that dreadful picture from last time with Larxene in the cell and..._What was this_?

This time, that insignificant brat's drawing was far, far worse compared to the last mistake she sketched. No, this...this was beyond horrible. How dare she portray her and her Marluxia in this light! For, this repulsive excuse for a picture portrayed hearts that were out of Larxene's and Marluxia's reach as well as almost every single member at Castle Oblivion. But, a crystal pink heart descended toward Axel.

"And just what are you playing at, little girl?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, for her anger was too immense to even scream.

There it was then, the weak nervous reaction. The girl's fingers fluttered about the table nervously as she helplessly trembled from her fear. Her blue eyes were ready to shut if anything bad should happen to her. Overall, she knew what would come almost as well as Larxene herself. Of course, she could speak, but it was all stuttering and mumbling.

"I—I...I—I was mad."

"Mad at what?" the Nymph snapped, getting progressively more irate by the second.

"At...a—at the way y—you and e—everyone else treat me."

Larxene looked ready to erupt while she paced about the room, trying fruitlessly to calm herself down. Honestly, maybe she didn't want the calm. She didn't want to hold back all the emotions she felt as much as a Nobody could. This burning rage inside her filled her with an incandescence that practically made her addicted to it. When all was said and done, she desired those flames of anger to burn her alive. And take Namine along with her. There was nothing left but hatred. So, swooping down upon the innocent girl, she asked through gritted teeth, "Then why does Axel seem to be getting a heart in this picture? Hm? Can you answer me that, little girl?"

"I—I...W—Well, he's always been so n—nice to me."

"Nice, huh?" Larxene retorted before she hysterically laughed, the resounding shrieks echoing in the mostly empty room. "Did you know he only does that for personal gain? He doesn't care about you at all. If anything, he wants to see you die just like the rest of us. If anything, he's the most careless one out of all of us."

"I don't believe that," Namine said softly, for once the stuttering gone.

Larxene couldn't hide her twitching eyes any longer as she felt an electrical charge course throughout her entire body. Axel once called her Lightning Bug. Well, her brand of lightning was much more agonizing than any ordinary insect's so-called generated electricity. Taking Namine out of her chair, she roughly threw her to the floor. The restraint of Marluxia's orders as well as her own self-control didn't matter at all any more. She wanted somebody to suffer.

Her voice rising to a very high soprano, she screamed, "REALLY? HOW CAN YOU KNOW? YOU STUPID GIRL!"

The kunai were out. No mercy would be spared. This was indeed past the point of no return, for Larxene's rage could take her to places she normally avoided going at all costs. Soon, her charged knives sliced through Namine's skin, yet the girl did not shout in pain. How much stupider could she get? More abuse would teach her a thing or two. And so, she hacked away, while Namine just kept bleeding and bleeding without making a sound. She really was nothing more than a doll. When she tired of slicing and dicing away, Larxene then ripped out the offending picture and cut it up, too. Paper ribbons soon surrounded her as the remnants of the picture fell to the floor. No more slicing. Then, she had to punch every bit of what she could find, didn't she?

Her fists then beat on Namine, blue and black and purple bruises sure to pop up after this hailstorm of fury ceased. Oh yes, the artist would learn to use those colors in her lousy drawings. Maybe she would use her own blood to paint? Not caring if her sanity was at risk, Larxene flipped over the table and proceeded to grab the sketchbook.

"I spared this disgusting thing last time!" she shouted in her victim's ear to make sure she received the message loud and clear. "But, I won't be so forgiving this time! You saw for yourself how I was, what I really am. I'm your worst nightmare. I'm the one you're scared of in real life, too. NOW SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR DRAWINGS!"

Her gloved hands clenched upon the sketchbook so tightly, she could feel her knuckles starting to whiten underneath. At the same time, her fists betrayed her—they started trembling like the girl before her. She didn't know what was happening. She should have torn the stupid thing to bits by now. Furious tears started trickling down her flushed cheeks as she tried a second time to rip the book up. No good. It was still all in one piece.

"Rip, damn it, rip!" she yelled helplessly before tossing it aside. No matter, vengeance on Namine was worth a great deal more than some silly childish drawings.

"Die already!" she screamed and prepared to make a few more slashes, a few more scars that would definitely not fade away. Just like Lenera's own scars...

She thought she heard Marluxia shout roughly, "No, Larxene!" but she didn't hear him. Her combined grief and rage quickly destroyed her on the inside, leaving her feeling soulless and empty. Too much emotion that a Nobody shouldn't feel, and this was the end result. She found that she didn't care any more, about any of this. Sure, she would love to see Sora and the Superior both fall to pieces, but if it meant that one attachment so precious be broken...

As though she was nothing more than a rag doll, Marluxia dragged Larxene out in the corridor. This would not end well. Then again, he had turned into the one thing she had dreaded: a power hungry monster.

She thought she heard him yelling, but she couldn't be sure. For now, she lost all sense of thought, all notion of reality. Basically, pouring out her hatred out on Namine helped her feel this comfortable numbness. She no longer sensed the need to vent any more that day. But, Marluxia being angry with her definitely did not help matters.

"You could have killed her! And then our mission would have been ruined! I told you not to try anything foolish with her, but you didn't listen to me. You repulsive imbecile! I don't even want to look at you, you're just so selfish! I could have single-handedly overthrown the Superior—!"

That was it, that horrible epiphany. He refused to include her in the plan, had refused to for quite some time. Was this the way it was going to be? All along, he had used her for his own personal gain?

In a cold, deadpan voice—a voice she barely recognized—she said, "I hate you. You blame me, and that's reasonable. But, what's really insane, Marluxia, is you were just waiting for me to make that one mistake. You had no intention of me being with you at all. It all died when you got power. Well, keep your damned power, because I want out. Sure, I'll help you take down Sora and Xemnas, but you—you're virtually nothing to me now. From now on, be like the others who are smart enough to stay away from me. You're dead to me."

She stalked off, feeling strangely hollow inside, that same hollowness that would persist throughout the rest of her day. As she reluctantly looked back at her now former lover, she saw an expression that was mixed: anger, shock, and barely perceptible agony. Good. She would leave him to suffer then.

* * *

**A/N:**** Told you guys, dark as all get-out. But, yeah, when I wrote the ending to this chapter, I was really surprised. And a little sad.**

**Luckily, there are only two more chapters left, and this thing will be finally done after much procrastination on my part. Sorry to keep you guys waiting.**


	26. Gone

**A/N: Finally, maybe I can bring this story to an end after this chapter. There will be one more chapter after this one, and it will be kind of an epilogue deal, but I'll still call it a chapter anyway. The last chapter will also be shorter in comparison to past chapters, but that depends on if I get over this kind of block or not. Never mind, I'm not sure if anyone is reading this. This chapter is extremely sad, though.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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**Chapter 26: Gone**

For the sake of the plan, Larxene behaved civilly to Marluxia for the next few days and he to her. If Sora was to be captured, they would have to rely on each other. Since they knew each other so unfortunately well, they would have to be resigned to trust. They had to be allies. There was simply no other way out of that, even as their romantic affair fizzled out. However, Larxene would refuse to look at him for minutes on end, and there were more awkward silences than could be counted. But, as Marluxia constantly reassured himself, it was all for the sake of the plan. Romance had been an unnecessary factor that just happened to get in the way for a while. Now that Larxene had learned her lesson about mistreating a valuable pawn, she could readily behave herself.

Secretly, in his own private thoughts, he would have given anything to at least kiss her again, hold her again.

Of course, neither of them could afford to be intimate at the present and especially after the Castle Oblivion mission was complete. For, he knew that since he bestowed upon her an unjustifiable wrong, she would never forgive him. And they never could be together again, no matter how much he desired it. It was merely the repercussions of a painful break-up, as though they were no more than human college classmates. Meantime, Axel proved himself to be an ally for both of them, since all three despised Vexen and looked for an excuse to get rid of him. What had once been a heated love triangle, though, now cooled to a cunning group ever plotting. Larxene even went so far as to decide on trusting Axel, an ex-boyfriend, again. If Marluxia hadn't thought better, he would have assumed she preferred the redhead over him like it had used to be.

But, the lightning elemental would never completely trust Axel—no, far from it. She wanted their relationship to be strictly professional, like with Marluxia, though it did verge on a tentative friendship now. Still, she had a gut instinct that Axel was up to something. She would go to the lengths of presuming he was preparing to turn on her and Marluxia. The few words she spoke to Marluxia, she used to tell him of her suspicions. He agreed with her, and they soon settled to keeping a sharp eye on the potential double agent.

One day, things came to a head.

Vexen, the lying, crackpot old coot, was about to reveal to Sora about "the other side of his memories", referring to Number Thirteen. It could not happen, Marluxia thought determinedly, not as long as he was lord of Castle Oblivion.

"Axel," he ordered lazily, his blue eyes gleaming with delight of the vilest kind. "Kindly rid us of our traitor. Vexen, it seems to me, is about to do something we cannot allow to happen."

Axel smirked. "Really?"

"Yes, and he isn't acting in our best interests any more, wouldn't you say?"

"Definitely...OK, then, I'm on it..._boss_."

With a rather crafty grin that Larxene noticed disdainfully, the redhead teleported to finish the job of assassinating Vexen.

As soon as he was gone, it was just the two of them. However, she refused to let an awkward silence take place this time and instead turned to Marluxia. Her teal eyes were as cold as ever when she looked at him, though she thought she vaguely regretted something: her anger at him. No matter, she would only share a frosty alliance with him. It was all for the good of the plan after all.

"Marluxia, what are you doing? We're letting Axel get what he wants. He's close with Roxas, and that much is obvious. He's going to trick everyone in this entire Organization and then some by the time he gets done with his own secret mission. I know he's up to something," she told him, but he looked merely bored in response to her theory.

"Congratulations," he replied dully. "You have stated the obvious. Honestly, I would have expected much better from you. But, yes...you're right. See, since Axel has in turn betrayed the Organization by killing one of our own, I will let Sora do the honors and have him kill our pest. Let me do this on my own, Larxene, for you no longer serve any purpose to me."

She glared icily at him. "From the sounds of things, you just don't want to get your hands dirty."

"Subtlety, my dear, for the plan. I suppose you have no assumption as to what the very definition of subtlety is. You certainly lack it."

Instead of shooting back a childish retort his way, Larxene turned her back on him. If only he would let his defenses down for once, just so she could find an excuse to forgive him. Even if what he did was unforgivable, she had already committed the rare act of mercy she was so hard pressed to give to him. However, with his veiled insults, she would not back down until he did. She never went down without a fight. Still, she considered as her fists shook, what was it she was fighting for? She needed a heart, didn't she? He, the gardener of the Organization, should have nothing to do with that goal. It was a good thing, what she was doing, forgetting about him before she forgave. Forgiveness was surrender, and she would only deliver that when he truly earned it.

"Larxene..."

"What?" She turned her head a fraction of an inch.

"I..."

Axel returned at that exact moment when Marluxia, unbeknownst to Larxene, was about to confess he was wrong. Of course, with that infernal redhead around, he could no longer express his deepest apologies. As he put on his smug façade on once again, he congratulated, "Well done, Axel. That traitor needed to be stopped."

"It was nothing, really," Axel responded apathetically, which intrigued Larxene.

"We really didn't think you had it in you to kill another member." She smirked.

He shrugged. "Yeah, well, I had to do what I had to do. Organization orders and all that."

Without speaking further to either of them, Axel abruptly left the room to go on with his own devices. Choosing not to be suspicious at all about this, Marluxia gazed at Larxene steadily. He worried that he might have looked terribly desperate at this point. If she refused to forgive him, then it was all over. He would no longer speak to her again, for she would render him speechless with her icy glares and her sharp words.

His voice barely above a whisper, he told her, "I'm sorry. For everything."

She looked back at him for a few sweet seconds, ones he would treasure forever, for it appeared as though she wryly smiled at him. Had she forgiven him after all? Sadly, Marluxia would never truly find out, because she turned her head away after those seconds. He didn't know why.

"Well...I just wish you could have seen me as more than your pawn in the plan. I really do. Maybe...maybe what you expressed was all just some act I was supposed to buy for the plan to go anywhere. That makes sense. I'm flattered you needed me that much."

Larxene had misunderstood him! He did need her, though it went above and beyond the blasted plot to overtake the Organization. Every time he had spoken with her or laughed with her or kissed her, he felt that much closer to obtaining a heart. If only she could see how much she still meant to him. Though fate might not grant him a heart, she could in a metaphorical sense. Without her, it felt as though he was missing something, as though he was half of a man.

She made him whole.

"Besides," she continued, interrupting his increasingly depressing thoughts. "We need to keep it professional. That's what this experience has taught me. I can't get close to anyone like me who doesn't have a heart. It's senseless. However...I forgive you."

Marluxia had no idea he had been gazing at the marble floor before she told him this. It was the one thing he wanted above everything: her forgiveness. What made this all seem so very bittersweet, though, was she refused to get close with anyone ever again, especially him. She would leave him with his feigned misery (for it could never be genuine) while she frozenly continued on with her non-existent life. Perhaps she was right. Keeping it professional was the only way Nobodies could survive. Without love, without hate, without friendship, being business-like was the neutral core of staying alive even in this non-existent state. There was no bias. And he could tell she had had a lot of time to ponder over that and realize it was the only way. The only way that was balanced.

Politely, Marluxia inclined his head toward her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Larxene replied rather stiffly and soon took her leave from the computer room.

He noticed right before she left that her eyes looked dead, cold and lifeless to the point that they weren't remotely close to being windows to her soul. They were only mere sight organs that helped her to see peripherally and what was directly in front of her. Even though they were rebelling against him, it honestly seemed as though she had believed Xemnas' words at last. That they were all nothing, and as nothing, they could experience zero emotion. Irony. For so long, she insisted to Marluxia that they could feel and that they didn't need hearts to love. Then, she went ahead and believed the one man whose advice she usually never listened to.

Feeling totally weak and helpless for the first time since he was born into his Nobody life, Marluxia murmured, "But...I love you."

That message fell on deaf ears.

* * *

As Sora ascended the floors of Castle Oblivion, the upper floor members knew what to do. Axel had had a turn at fighting the Keyblade Master once before, now it was Larxene who would attempt to kill that naïve boy. She examined her kunai while walking down the corridor, to make sure they were perfectly sharp to do the job. Once she did this, she was completely satisfied with the end results. They could stab and shock him very well indeed. She smirked, though it was as lifeless as ever. For some reason she couldn't figure out (not quite), she sensed that maybe Marluxia had given her life. Without him, she was just a shell, the true definition of a Nobody. But, wasn't that all she was normally? One man couldn't make all the difference in the world in terms of how full of life she was. That was a stupid theory. Thinking about that possibility made her look weak and pitiful. And she had always despised being weak.

No matter, Sora had to be finished. Since almost every member knew that Roxas was connected to Sora, it was only natural that Axel would go easy on the kid. Hmph, the Keyblade Master had no idea how easy he had it up to this point. Sure, he lost his memories, so what? As of this moment, Larxene thought she would give anything to be rid of her memories, more specifically her Somebody's memories. Because when she had been Lenera, Marluxia's Somebody had walked into her life. When they first hated each other, became friends so gradually, and then fell in love...

Love. She once refused to believe in it back then, when she was just Lenera, a young girl with father problems and social problems in general. Well, these so-called problems seemed trifle compared to the ones she faced now. Without the prospect of friends or a lover after this battle, what was the point of resuming this worthless life? It all lead back to her wanting a heart, but was it honestly worth this? Xemnas lied to them, obviously. He would probably try to get to Kingdom Hearts first and leave the rest of them behind. A tyrant would do such a thing in his position. And that was what she saw him as: a ruthless, cruel tyrant who only pretended to care about his followers. She doubted the plot she created with Marluxia would work. It was destined to fail, because all Nobodies were destined to fade back into darkness. It would be fate that would win out at the end of the day. So simple to realize that undeniable fact.

Once she thought over this, she recognized the situation she was facing right now—preparing to fight. She knew she could very well die during this battle. And did it matter if she died or miraculously lived?

Honestly...no. No, it wouldn't matter, because it would be Marluxia's turn at fighting the boy if she failed. If she succeeded, then the plan would actually come into play. They would have Sora as a puppet. Larxene shook her head at the thought, which was becoming more and more ludicrous as she reached the end of the corridor to turn off at the right. That Keyblade was that puny brat's for a reason. If they did turn him into a puppet, he would find some way to squirm out of that situation and kill both her and Marluxia with the Keyblade. Any angle she looked at the overall plot, she assumed it would crumble, bringing along with it her death and Marluxia's. Despite outside appearances, Larxene wasn't an idiot. However, she would hate dying at the hands of a twelve-year-old boy. He was twelve, right? No...no, if Roxas looked fourteen or so, that was probably his age.

She stopped at the entrance of the computer room, where Marluxia leaned against a wall, thinking as craftily as ever, no doubt. Almost on impulse, she entered and noticed him look up to gaze at her. Those sapphire eyes she had always found so pretty...looked dead and frozen. Had she done this to him with her words? She immediately dismissed the possibility as she slowly walked over toward him. Why did she get the notion this would be the last time they ever spoke?

Ignoring her complicated questions, Larxene told him, "I'm ready. That kid will soon be ours in a matter of minutes."

Surprisingly, she didn't bring about a smirk from that comment. "Very well, you must do what you have to do. The sooner we have him in our possession, the better our chances against Xemnas."

"Marluxia..."

"What?" he whispered, his blue eyes gradually...softening.

"If I don't come back—"

His voice down to a dangerous half-snarl, he commanded, "Don't say that."

"Just..."

Just what? Just forget about her perhaps? Or just remember her for what she was?

In a very exhausted sigh, she murmured, "Never mind."

Once again, she abandoned the room without heeding to Marluxia's pleas to come back.

* * *

He was haunted, absolutely haunted by what he saw take place on the computer screen. She was collapsing, screaming savagely, and then...dying. Darkness coursed out of her chest and her arms while she desperately gasped out her last words. None of them formed a proper sentence, and she soon vanished out of the camera's sight, out of _his _sight, forever.

"Damn it!" Marluxia shouted bitterly, pounding his fist against the screen that soon shattered into a thousand pieces. He lost her. She would never know how much he loved her, how much he cared. Without a last caress or a kiss or anything of that nature, she disappeared from him just like that. He couldn't even hold her during her final breaths. For some reason, despite being what he was, Marluxia felt the loss tremendously. Too agonizing was his grief. If anything, he refused to continue with his plot. He wanted it to end, for he didn't care about it any more. Not if his one true love had had to die in the process. Shortly after, he lifted his face from his arms, his blue eyes blazing with hate-filled murder. He would kill him. He would kill that merciless bastard who took his Larxene away from him. And no one was going to stand in the way of that.

* * *

That idiotic Axel had dared to interfere with his plans, but at least Sora had gotten him out of the way, too. Good. That was one death he would not miss for an instant. As he steered his creature back and forth the platform where just he and the Keyblade Master fought, he was in high spirits. However, these spirits weren't light-hearted in nature but with a devious, malicious intent. Finally, he could face off against this murderer to bring him down, to bring him to justice. He would avenge Larxene's death and perhaps continue with the plan. Soon, he would rule the Organization, because he realized she would have wanted him to. Unfortunately, these thoughts prevented him to think rationally during a time of battle, so that Sora's Keyblade impaled his chest. He found he didn't much care.

"Larxene," he whispered in his final breath. "I'm coming."

* * *

**A/N: ****Sorry if this chapter was a little choppy to you. For some reason, I thought this chapter out in movie scenes. Plus, there's way too much that happens in the Castle Oblivion arc overall. It's all extremely complex. I thought you guys would be more concerned with what happens to just strictly Larxene and Marluxia. I hope you liked it, guys.**

**I'm not really expecting any reviews, but I thank those of you who read it despite my lousy updating. I apologize for the updating or lack thereof. Sigh, wasn't this chapter sad?**


	27. Awake

**A/N: Wow, guys...This story is officially over with this chapter. I got to admit, this story was my baby...in a way. It was more so with my Death Note story last year, but this was the first long fanfic I ever worked on. Actually, not-but I feel it's the first GOOD long fanfic I ever wrote. I hope you guys like this last chapter. It's an epilogue-ish type of deal, so that's why it's short.**

* * *

**Chapter 27: Awake**

Everything was dark, so totally dark to the point that she couldn't even see her hands when she lifted them close to her eyes. Just a hopeless blackness everywhere, no matter where she walked—she would be made to suffer a Nobody's fate. A Nobody, she doubted, could go to any one heaven or any one hell or an afterlife or face reincarnation. None of those things would suit someone heartless like her. She would be forever trapped here with no light streaming in, no one else to keep her company. Actually, despite the fact she stood here alone after death, she remembered the details quite well. She taunted Sora, dared him to kill her so she could never face Marluxia again, never tell him goodbye or how much she still managed to love him. In spite of what the avid gardener inevitably forced her to go through, her love for him existed.

The teasing and prodding at Sora's evaporating memories, though, had proven too much for the Keyblade Master to take. It wasn't a mercy killing. No, she saw the combined fear and hatred in his eyes. He had to be careful from now on, or else he could easily end up like her. And she supposed she couldn't wish that kind of fate on anybody, not even the enemy. In the mean time, she didn't know what to do with her eternity in darkness, which probably came from the streams of it coursing out of her body during her last breaths, no doubt.

Suddenly, a light did shine through this seemingly impenetrable black, something so bright it nearly blinded her. It wasn't sunlight, whatever its source. It shone like a beacon that served as her only guardian in this non-existent hell. It gave her a second chance, and how she longed to take it. It welcomed her home.

Before she knew it, she ran toward where the light was, to be close with it again. This life of darkness and plotting and lusting before had diminished her as a person. But, to see that light, that chance—it was enough to make her decision quite obvious. As she neared wherever this tunnel would lead to, no more murkiness surrounded her. Instead, that beautiful, beautiful light embraced her to the point she felt so indescribably warm. That, yes, she could be happy again. And be able to love again, to feel, to appreciate her life more than she had ever wanted to before. She would welcome the light back as well, just as it wanted her back in the real world. As she vaguely saw the place where this tunnel opened, she heard a familiar voice call her name. It was definitely male, definitely warm and kind. She would know that voice from anywhere...

* * *

Lenera's eyes flittered open due to streams of sunlight pouring in toward her cave. As she sat up and rubbed her eyes, she swore that Fairweatherton Forest never looked lovelier than at this moment. And she could barely recall the sun being so incandescently bright, beaming down upon her. Remembering the horrors that had taken place in her now second past life, she checked her clothing unsurely.

Thank goodness. The Organization robe that had metaphorically taken the place of shackles wasn't on her any more. Since she had broken free of her non-existence, since she did have the strength to, she had lost all ties to that evil Organization XIII as well. Closing her teal eyes, Lenera breathed the deepest sigh of relief she ever heaved. Things would finally look up. Instead of that lousy robe, she wore normal clothes again—jeans and a blue T-shirt, the very things she wore the day she first "died." So, wait, if she returned to her normal, thankfully hum-drum life she would be grateful to have, what of...?

She glanced about the cave, hoping he was there too, alive and breathing like her. Suppose he had chosen the wrong path and decided to stay in that too dark afterlife? His thoughts had been cold and calculating toward the end of his second life to the point that he had used her to ascend the Organization power pyramid. Lenera clasped her hands, worried that he hadn't joined her, had decided firmly to remain where he was.

But, no, he was here too, sleeping the day away, it seemed. It was as though they had never become Nobodies to begin with. Relieved, she gently stroked his black hair, just as soft as ever. Affectionately, she kissed his forehead before she heard him sigh softly. He was about to wake up.

And those gorgeous sapphire colored eyes, like the iridescent gems they resembled, opened to see her smiling.

"Lenera," he whispered, stretching out his arms. "Where are we?"

She beamed. "Home."

Then, she proceeded to tackle him in a loving hug that caused him to chuckle in the process. Her enthusiasm for life seemed to have increased a hundredfold since her Organization life ended. This time around, she would live every day to the fullest and never overlook a good thing for an instant. She would cherish this beautiful world she lived in for as long as she lived...hopefully, for many more years to come.

Once she gave Lariaum air to breath after that nearly suffocating hug, he took her face in his hands. And that smile...that smile those soft pink lips formed absolutely, irrevocably endeared him to her.

"I'm glad we're home at last," he murmured. "I thought I'd never get away from the darkness. But, I heard your voice. You lead me out of it. I heard your voice..."

He kissed her with as much passion as he could muster while she just as happily kissed him back. It had been such a long time—eons, it felt like—since she touched his lips with her own. They almost tumbled back to the cave floor before they broke apart.

Lenera grinned. "Me too—I mean, your voice led me out of that dark place, too. Hm, I wonder if..."

She glanced over at where that door to darkness, that terrible portal that started all of this, usually was. However, all she saw was merely the cave wall.

"That stupid door's gone. Finally. We won't have to be those disgusting people ever again. I won't be so heartless to people, and you...well, you won't be so heartless to people either."

Stroking back stray blond bangs that landed in her forehead, Lariaum returned her relieved smile. "We were rather horrific, weren't we? And I...I took advantage of you at one point. I'm sorry."

She kissed his cheek to assure him he had her forgiveness. "It wasn't you. That was a sick person who, at the same time, was probably the most vulnerable man I—I mean, _she_—ever met."

"And she always hid behind her anger and sadism," he said, referring to her as a Nobody. "It was almost like when I first met you. You still remember that...don't you?"

"Do I ever?" she asked rhetorically. "God, I was awful to you!"

"Lenera, Lariaum—where are you?" another familiar voice called out both their names.

Finally standing to her feet, Lenera shouted in her strongest voice, "Coming, Sylvia! Tell Mom we'll come up for lunch in a few minutes!"

She then offered her hand to him, the love of her life. "Want some of Mom's cooking?"

He nodded. "I'm starving. Um, Lenera, one more thing."

"What?"

"Let's promise to each other that we'll never be apart again. And let's also promise to enjoy each day to its fullest. What do you think about that?"

Wow. She could hardly believe he had actually said what she thought only moments before. To be together with him, to pursue her art, to do whatever—it sounded like the best plan to her. She wondered if they would marry in the future. An optimistic instinct told her that that might happen soon.

Getting back to her response, she agreed, "Yes, let's promise on those things, especially the first one. I've lost you twice. I'm never losing you again."

He grinned, taking her into his arms. "I share those same, exact sentiments. Now, let's go home—your home anyway."

"More than willing to—I hope Mom made tacos."

Companionably, the couple laughed together while they emerged from the cave. As they wandered toward that cozy cabin out in the woods, they thought about what the future might bring. For some reason, they knew it wouldn't consist of those black creatures that took their hearts away in the first place. For, they had regained them of their own accord, with the help from each other. This showed that thunder did not destroy roses, as Lenera once pessimistically claimed long before they were officially together. It was more along Lariaum's idea that they could help each other, save each other if necessary.

By placing their trust in each other's hands, they would be happy together for as long as they lived.

* * *

**A/N: ****Well, thanks to all the people who reviewed this story! XD I felt this story was good while it lasted. So, I appreciate every last review...even the weird, random ones that didn't make sense at all.**

**However, since no one is probably reading this, I'm basically talking to a wall-or typing to a wall, whatever. So, I expect no one to review and I expect to be satisfied that this long sub sandwich of a story is over! Yayyyyyy!**

**Later. Drop in a review if you're actually reading this. I'll be surprised if you do. XD**


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